Forest and Shadows
by Stormikat
Summary: A mysterious tom crosses the mountains by the lakes to meet with the Clans. He learns about Clan life and all seems to be going well until he disappears. A deputy is murdered and prey is stolen. The Clans reach a breaking point just as a leader dies. End
1. River and Shadow Allegiances

_Just for your knowledge of who's in the Clan or not. ShadowClan and RiverClan and only a few other important cats._

_Allegiances:_

_Older cats come first. So senior warriors then younger warriors, she-cats who have been queens longer and have kits, then the ones that just got in the nursery. Older apprentices, younger apprentices, elders-- oldest to recent. Kits and apprentices by me. Younger warriors created by me also._

* * *

**RiverClan**

**Leader** Leopardstar-- elderly, unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat  
_apprentice: Duckpaw_

**Deptuy** Rainstorm-- mottled gray-blue tom  
_apprentice: Shimmerpaw_

**Medicine Cat** Mothwing-- dappled golden she-cat  
_apprentice: Willowshine_-- gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors**

Beechfur-- light brown tom  
_apprentice: Mudpaw_

Rippletail-- dark gray tabby tom

Graymist-- pale gray tabby

Mintfur-- light gray tabby tom  
_apprentice: Cloudpaw_

Pinefur-- very short-haired tabby she-cat

Robintail^-- tortoiseshell and white tom

Pebblepelt^-- mottle gray tom

Nettlemark^-- dark brown tabby tom  
_apprentice: Flowerpaw_

Grassfoot^-- pale brown tom (?)

Beetlewing^-- odd bluish-gray tom with brown paws (?)

Petalstripe^-- gray she-cat with light colored stripes (?)  
_apprentice: Bigpaw_

Ripplecreek-- gray tom with white paws and dark gray stripes along his body

Weavingreed-- golden tabby she-cat

Lightheart-- white she-cat with one brown paw

**Apprentices**

Shimmerpaw-- white she-cat with gray flecks that shine in the sun, held back warrior ceremony due to injured paws

Flowerpaw--tortoiseshell she-cat

Bigpaw-- large dark brown tom with black stripes

Cloudpaw-- pale gray tom

Mudpaw--pale brown she-cat

Duckpaw-- dark gray tom with light brown tail

**Queens**

Mosspelt-- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Rippletail's one kit: Skykit (gray-blue tabby tom with two white spots)

Cooperpool^-- dark ginger she-cat, mother of Mintfur's two kits: Spottedkit (ginger tom with gray spots) and Tigerkit (golden tabby she-cat with one amber eye and one blue)

**Elders**

Blackclaw--smokey black tom

Mistyfoot-- gray she-cat with blue eyes

**ShadowClan**

**Leader** Kinkstar--tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

**Deputy **Snaketail-- dark brown tom with tabby striped tail

**Medicine Cat** Littlecloud-- very small tabby tom  
_apprentice: Flamestreak^--_ ginger tom

**Warriors **

Rowanclaw-- ginger tom

Snowbird-- pure white she-cat with blue eyes  
_apprentice Acornpaw_

Ivytail-- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

Tigerheart*- dark brown tabby tom

Scorchtree^-- dark gray tom

Redsky^-- mottled brown and ginger tom

Olivespot^-- tortoiseshell she-cat with a scarred tail

Batwing-- gray she-cat with large ears and black tail  
_apprentice: Brownpaw_

Stoneheart-- gray tabby tom

Eveningbreeze-- dark gray, almost black, she-cat with dusted ginger belly and chest

Fernstripe-- light tabby she-cat

**Apprentices **

Acornpaw-- tortoiseshell tom with dark tabby head

Brownpaw-- dark tabby tom

**Queens **

Dawncloud^-- cream-furred she-cat, mother of Redsky's one kit: Dapplekit (mottled brown she-cat with cream colored spots)

**Elders **

Oakfur-- small brown tom

**ThunderClan **

**Leader** Firestar--ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

**Deputy** Brambleclaw--dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Warriors**

Lightningwhisker--black she-cat with cream-colored stripes on her legs

**Apprentices **

Fallingpaw--light brown tabby she-cat with gray markings on her chest, belly and legs

**WindClan **

**Leader** Onestar-- brown tabby tom

**Deputy** Ashfoot-- gray she-cat

**Cats outside of the Clans**

Deepforest-- dark green-eyed dark tabby tom

* * *

**(?) means it's a cat the Erins' created and I have no idea how it looks. (I also don't know their warrior names)**

***Means these are their real names and are different than in some of my other stories.**

**^ means these are not their real names. The Erins have chosen others for them and I've seen them, but I'm too lazy to change them and I think mine are better. XD**

**Any cats that aren't mentioned have died or are no longer part of the Clans. Sorry if those were your favorite cats.**

**Real names (as I saw them in Omen of the Stars):**

SC

DAWNPELT, FLAMETAIL, OLIVENOSE, SCORCHFUR, REDWILLOW

RC

ROBINWING, PEBBLEFOOT, BEETLEWHISKER, GRASSPELT, PETALFUR


	2. Chapter 1: Meet the Family

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Those who are reading _**Falling into Shadow**_ know Deepforest from that story. I didn't intend to make one story about him, but he came to me and kind of told me it, so I had to, even though it's taking up more of my time. I dislike characters like that. Anyway, you can learn about him and tell me what you think. There will be more to the story, but this chapter is to see how things work._

_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Meet the Family  
**

My name is Deepforest. I'm a dark brown tabby. My most defining features are my eyes. They are a beautiful deep green. Or so I am told. I've never actually seen them. Even puddles have too many ripples for me to see myself. My mother said that was what I was named for. The green of the forest. The deep parts of the forest where we were born. Where the sunbeams scour into the hidden places.

My brother, Rabbit, was named for his soft fur. In places it is very fluffy and he has two tones like rabbits. He even has a white, stubby tail. It is a stub because he got it bit off by a fox when he was a kit and had wandered away from our mother, Hawthorn. He's a brown tabby like me, but his white tail and ear makes him different. As well as his personality. Many cats I've met say I'm gloomy, but he's a sour face. He doesn't ever have anything nice to say.

We have one other sibling. Her name is Sky. She's a light grey cat with a black belly, like our mother. You might think she'd be soft, like her blue eyes, but no. She's as hard as stone. You make her angry and you will never get on her good side again.

My tale really starts when I wanted to go over the mountain. My family had been living together. It was just us four for the longest time. Until Hawthorn died. Then it was then just me and by siblings. We didn't get along after our mother died. She was the one holding us together. We decided to go our separate ways. I wanted to go over the mountain.

We lived at the base of a range of tree covered mountains. All around us was forest. We did not know of anything else. But Hawthorn had tales of places that she'd heard existed. She heard things from passing cats. Cats like our father and her murderer. I d also seen some of these cats and listened to them. So my family knew there was a world out there. But no one ever came over the mountain. That was why I wanted to go there. I promised to come back with an adventure to tell them.

"You'll never make it," Rabbit told me. "It gets too cold up there."

"I'll make it," I told him. "And I'll be back by greenleaf."

"It's greenleaf now," Sky pointed out.

"The next greenleaf," I corrected myself.

Rabbit shook his head. "You don't even know how long it will take to get up the mountainside, let alone make it back. There are things up there."

Now he had a scared look in his eyes. Hawthorn had always told us stories of the bad creatures that lived up there. Foxes, badgers, eagles, owls, and something called a bear. But I didn't care. I was going.

"They won't hurt me," I vowed.

Sky looked up into the leaves as she snorted. Clearly she didn't believe I'd make it either.

I scowled at them both. Just because I was the youngest didn't make me the weakest. I'd proven that time and time again.

"I'll say that over your bones," she scoffed. "Then I'll kick dirt over them."

Now I glared at them.

"Fine, don't wish me luck. I'm still going."

They looked at the ground.

"Is this really it?" Rabbit finally asked.

I nodded.

Sky sighed. "You know its only been three seasons."

"I know," I meowed. "But we've all been wanting to leave."

They nodded. I was just the first to actually make the decision to go. We were starting to get annoyed with one another as siblings do. We wanted our own mates. We wanted room to be ourselves. Hawthorn had always taught us to be independent as she was. To provide for ourselves so we could live as we wanted. Only Sky had been taught to provide for her kits if she were to have any. Rabbit and I weren't likely to stick with our mates for very long. Our father hadn't even waited to see us born.

"Then good luck," Sky meowed. She looked back at me. Her blue eyes glimmering with sadness. She rubbed her face against my muzzle. I licked her forehead.

"I will be back," I told her again. "Just be here when I do."

"If you're leaving, that doesn't guarantee we'll stick around here for you," Rabbit meowed. "Especially not when you come back bleeding to death. Don't expect our help."

Now I just sighed. I know he didn't mean it. But he did have a point. Would they still be here on my return?

"When it gets too hard," Rabbit continued, "come back. We'll stick around for a few more days."

I nodded gratefully. But I knew I wasn't coming back so soon.

And with that I turned away. I didn't expect Rabbit to show my any affection like Sky had. He was probably glad to be rid of me. Now all the she-cats would just look at him. Even with his stumpy tail.

The journey that day was easy. I didn't get out of our territory, which was very large. So that night I slept in the hollow log we'd used on occasion. In fact, it was the place my siblings and I had been born. It was very comfortable, if you ignored the bugs.

Morning came bright and early. I blinked open my eyes and looked out of the hole. I could hear the birds singing for the dawn. I yawned and slowly got out of my temporary den. There I stretched. Once my muscles were loose, I went to hunt. The birds in this area had already seen me and they'd gone quiet. So I slunk away to better hunting grounds.

I caught my breakfast and continued my journey. For two days I continued, not noticing the gently sloping ground. It wasn't until I reached the rocky cliff that I realized I was actually getting somewhere. The rock soared up through the trees and I could see it even before I got there. The many stones were cracked and covered in moss. There was dirt at the very bottom of this cliff. I looked around for an easier way up. But as far as I could see, there wasn't any flatter way. I had to climb this cliff if I were to continue.

Because I didn't want to return so soon to my disbelieving siblings, I examined the rock some more. The stones looked loose, but I could possibly get my claws into the cracks and there were a few ledges on the way. I could rest on those. There were also a few ferns. Prey could hide under there. I looked farther up. My head started to crick. I could see the top. There were honeysuckle vines hanging down, their sweet smelling flowers were humming with bees and hummingbirds. There were also a few tree roots jutting out from the ground. The forest continued at the top of this challenge. Well, I welcomed some hardship. I knew it wouldn't be all moonbeams on my journey, but it was just this sort of thing that would interest my siblings.

I tensed and jumped to the cliff. My body slammed into the rocks and my pads ran over the sharp rocks. Luckily I was used to hard surfaces. My pads did not get scratched. My claws caught in the cracks as I'd planned. They did snag a bit making me wince.

I hung on the cliff for a few seconds, reveling in my accomplishment. Then I focused. I had to climb this. I slowly lifted one paw. My body shook with the effort of hanging vertically, but my claws found another crack. I positioned my back legs in the cliff and pushed up as if I were jumping after a bird. I got up a whisker length.  
My climb continued like this for a long while. But I got more tired than I was expecting. I tried to find one of those ledges my eye had rested on before. But from this position there was none that I could see. I sighed. That movement costed me. My back legs lost their hold on the rubble under them. They slipped out from under me. My front claws held desperately onto their small hold.

"Help me," I squeaked.

My back legs scrabbled for a hold. Loose rocks rained on the forest floor below me. I didn't know how far away it was, but it took a long time for the rocks to stop tumbling and I knew I was far up. If I fell, I would break bones.

* * *

**And you probably won't find out what happens for a long time!!!**

***laughs evily***

**Review!!!  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Crossing the Mountain

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to all you people who waited so patiently for more of this story: _Jtlover28, Icethroat21, Warriors-Skywing, VioletteRose, Oo-Rainpath-oO, _and_ Graysky.

_Sorry for the lame title, but I have no creativity at the moment._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Crossing the Mountain**

At first as I hung onto the side of the cliff, my mind was as frozen as the creek in leaf-bare. Then it started working again as my front legs started to tremble. I was just hanging there, my back claws having given up on trying to get secure again. If I didn't do something soon, I was going to fall.

Quickly I looked for a ledge again, but still, I could find none from my angle. Next, I thought about just dropping. It was inevitable that I would go downward, but I didn't want to break any bones in a tumble down the cliff side. I did the next best thing.

I managed to get my legs back up. They weren't very secure but they were on the cliff enough for what I wanted to do. I pushed off of the cliff. My leap took me away from the side of the mountain, clear from the rocks of the slope. While in the air I twisted around, my body like a falling leaf. By the time I reached the ground, I was upright. My paws hit the ground with a loud thump, pressing down grass.

I gasped with the sudden ache in my paws. I was sure I sprained one. I limped around, trying to ease the pain. Finally after a few deep breaths, it was minimal. Then I turned to face my adversary.

The cliff was still there. Of course it wouldn't just leave with my good effort. It wasn't going to let me pass just because I tried. I hissed at it in annoyance and looked for the spot I'd almost fallen from. It was easy to see. Fresh dirt had been revealed by my back claws as they struggled for a hold. I'd almost been half way up, but as I examined it, I realized I'd gone to a spot without any ledges. I shook my head at my folly. If I'd had a ledge, I was sure I would have made the top that day. As it was, I was not going to try climbing the cliff again until next sunrise. My claws and legs hurt too much. I quickly wandered off to find something to eat. And I hoped to discover another plan.

**_-Line-_**

My new plan was a tree. I found a large oak next to the cliff some fox lengths down from where I last tried to scale the mountainside. This oak was very close to the cliff. Its branches went high up. I felt that if I climbed this, I could make the rest of the cliff on my own. Climbing trees is easy; they aren't so vertical.

So I dug my dulling claws into the ridged tree bark and pulled myself up the wide trunk. I rested frequently on many branches. I did not want to repeat what happened the last time. I was going to be rested and I was watching where I was going. Each rest, I'd glance at the cliff between groups of wide leaves. I made sure I was going the right way and would find the right branch. I'd seen one right next to the cliff while I was on the ground and I didn't want to pass it by.

Luck was with me and I found it. I cautiously walked my way to the end of the branch. It was thin and I didn't want to slip off. There was no breeze, so I felt a bit safer when I reached the edge. I quickly crossed the gap between rock and branch. Then I started up, looking for ledges as I went.

I reached the top of the cliff after sunhigh. I pulled myself up through the roots and the honeysuckle vines, scaring off the humming birds as I heaved myself over the side. I lay on the cool grass as I rested my exhausted self. I wasn't traveling anymore that day. The cliff was all I could handle.

When I wasn't hurting so much and could breath easier, I got up and stretched. The scent of the honeysuckle was all around and it didn't surprise me when I could easily catch a bird or two. I managed to go a bit farther before nightfall, but when the sun started to set, I found a place in between the roots of an elm tree. It made its own nest for me with leaves from the last leaf-fall. I quickly went to sleep. My dreams were filled with a very long mountain that I had yet to climb.

My journey was not quick but it was repetitive. I walked every day and had to top a few more cliffs before I reached the summit of the mountain. I wasn't aware that I was there at first. I knew it was colder up here and had felt it steadily increase. It felt like a leaf-fall night so high above everything. It was when I noticed I was going downhill, that I realized what I'd done. I'd actually crossed the mountain.

If I'd gone home in that moment, I would have been extremely happy to report what I'd done to my siblings. They would have been impressed. But my curiosity drew me on. What was on the other side of the mountain? Why had nothing come over it before?

So I continued on through the forest. The tall trees soaring above me into the clear, robin egg blue sky. I knew at least a moon had gone by since I started. I'd seen the moon grow big and then small. I hadn't expected the journey to take this long, but I was glad that I hadn't told my siblings I'd be back in leaf-bare. That would have been too soon.

_And it would have been too cold_, I thought to myself that day as I walked downward.

The downward side was more interesting than going up. Possibly because I wanted it to be interesting. I saw more bushes as they leaned against trees in perfect shelters. I saw more flowers, I saw more prey, and I saw more dangers.

My first danger was actually very frightening. I was sleeping in one of those bushes I'd seen when I was startled awake by the sound of sniffing. My eyes opened wide as it intruded on my dreams. The sound kept getting closer and closer. I looked around and saw a large black snout coming toward me.

My dark tabby fur puffed out in terror. My claws flashed out to strike at the thing. As my claws hit the nose and blood welled up, a loud roar shook the trunks of the nearby trees. I shot out of the bush in unbelievable fear. I didn't turn around until I was far away. I stood there shaking, my fur sticking out at all angles. As I calmed down, I discovered that I wanted to know what that was. I argued with myself for a short time about how it wasn't safe. But I knew I wanted to see so I could tell my siblings about it. They'd laugh at me once they knew I ran away. Laugh and roll on the ground. I couldn't let them do that.

So I cautiously slunk back. I carefully rounded wide tree trunks and peered over ferns and short bushes. Finally I found the area. That was when I saw the beast. It was almost like a gigantic badger, it was very furry, and it had a jaw full of sharp teeth. I could see where I'd damaged its nose. On occasion the animal would rub its large paws over the wound, but it would continue snuffling the ground near the bush. That was when I noticed it was digging up my former nest. Digging it up and eating the grubs from the ground.

"Gross," I muttered to myself as I looked at the thing. It liked grubs? I'd never seen anything like this, but I thought I knew what it was.

"Bear," I got out. It had to be a bear. So they really did exist this high on the mountain. I shuddered and turned away. I didn't want it seeing me and deciding I was prey. I quickly walked away.

My next challenge was really getting down the cliffs. I hadn't realized going up was the easiest part. Not until I looked down one of the long slopes, did I realize how wrong I was. I couldn't back down a cliff and I certainly couldn't go down head first. I also was not going to jump. In the end, I had to walk long stretches to find an easier way. By now I was sure I was off course. I wasn't going to get home the same way. I wasn't sure which way it was. All I knew was to set my course on the sun.

Then one day I entered a part of the forest mostly filled with pines. And I smelled many cats. I walked along, surprised there were cats on the mountain. Did they not fear the bear? I wandered along hoping to speak with another cat. That was when I came upon a large pillar of stone.

* * *

**His journey had to be one chapter because you would have been bored of him wandering around talking to himself. Until the next time!**

**Oh, yeah, and please, all of you go to **Spottedstarshell**'s profile and vote on her pole for the new story she's planning.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Clans

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Back so soon. I just wanted to put up a bit more because I wrote it. Anyway, the cats not in ShadowClan are based off of the ones in The New Prophesy Book 5: Twilight. It didn't have their names so neither do I._

_Thanks to my reviewers of last night: _VioletteRose, Oo-Rainpath-oO, _and_ Warriors-Skywing.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Clans  
**

I stared at the stone for a long time. They were even blocks going up. I at first thought it was a pillar because of how high it was but then I noticed there were two parts to the stone thing. One of the stone mounds was closed in by another, shorter structure. I walked closer, interested. I'd never seen anything like this before. At the moment I ignored the smell of the cats. This was more interesting. I wandered around the first stone thing, not sure how to get over. There was one slight opening that had an oddly bare trail leading through it. I didn't go through that as I wasn't sure what was on the other side. Finally I jumped on top of the stone. It was wide enough for me to sit on. I sat there and stared at the next stone pillar.

This was more like a pillar because it was taller than the outer stone. It kind of reminded me of a tree because there was a wood covering on the very top. There were shiny squares in the stone that reflected the sun back at me. In between the two stone structures was a clearing. There were no trees but lined up herbs and flowers. It was strange. I remained sitting, watching the thing. I wasn't aware there was anything to be wary of.

That was when two cats came around the side of the middle structure. One was a light brown tabby and the other was a black and white large tom. They were walking with their tails swinging in unconcerned ease. Then they froze. They'd seen him.

"Quick," the black and white tom yelled, running to a part in the stone thing.

The smaller tabby raced after him.

"Hey, wait!" I called. I didn't know why they were running. I thought it was luck that I could see them and ask them things. Of course I was trespassing on their territory. I was expecting them to attempt to get rid of me. Instead they were running away.

"I only want to ask you something!" I yelled as they yowled in front of another wooden thing in the stone mound.

The large black and white tom reluctantly turned around.

"We haven't been in the forest! Leave us alone!" he growled at me.

I stared at him. They weren't allowed in the forest? It was a perfectly good forest! I'd already caught a squirrel.

"Why aren't you supposed to go in the forest?" I asked, worried. Perhaps there was something to fear after all.

"You would know, Clan cat," the light brown tabby spat back at me.

"Clan?"

I didn't recognize the term. What was a Clan and why did these cats fear them?

The two cats looked at each other in shock. Then they turned their wary eyes on me.

"You aren't one of those wild cats?" the light brown tom questioned.

"I am wild," I meowed. I certainly didn't know there were any other terms. "I just don't know what a Clan is. You see, I just came over the mountain."

I pointed with my tail to the one I was talking about.

"Then you better get out of here quick," the black and white tom warned. "If those Clan cats get hold of you or see you on their territory, they'll kill you."

I didn't get to say anything else when I heard a sudden hiss behind me. I sprang up and turned around on the stone I sat on. Below me were two large cats and two smaller ones.

There was a dark brown tabby with amber eyes, a smaller gray tabby that stayed close to him, ginger tom, and a very dark she-cat with a ginger belly that stayed near him. They looked at me with cruel eyes and their claws out. Now I could see why the two other cats had been scared of me. They'd been expecting these Clan cats.

"We told you to stay in your garden," ginger tom growled at me.

"Garden?" I asked. What was that?

"With your twolegs you kittypet," the amber-eyed tom snapped.

Kittypet? Twolegs? I was confused. Obviously there was something going on. I wasn't even supposed to be a part of it.

"I'm sorry," I meowed. "I don't know what you mean. I'm only passing through. I saw these two toms and wanted to know about the area."

My ears flicked back to the toms behind me. They were still huddled next to the stone mound after they'd heard the cats beneath me. Suddenly the wooden panel opened. I blinked at it in shock as the cats slipped in and an odd creature came out. It was tall. Even taller than the bear and it walked to two legs. It was bare except for fur on top of its head. My eyes widened as I got a good look at it. It saw me and started shouting. I jumped from my stone seat in shock. I could put up with aggressive cats, but this was something different.

The cats next to me growled at me. They lunged forward as I came near. That was all I could take. I quickly turned and raced away from them. They chased me through the pine trees. They were so close to me. The ginger tom almost bit my back foot once. That made my heart beat faster and my body bound forward. Still they came on. Then suddenly the tree's ended. More stone mounds were in front and more bare ground. The forest had ended. I burst through and saw something that made me even more frightened. There were more two legged creatures walking around. They came in varying sizes, but all were much larger than I was. I froze on the very edge of the trees. The Clan cats and stopped in the tree line and were hiding in the shadows. I could barely make them out.

One of the twolegs came for me. It was one of the smallest ones. It held out its paws and bared its teeth at me. Sharp sounds came from its mouth. I quickly backed away, but the growling of the Clan cats stopped me. I could not go back. I could only go forward. Quickly I dodged around the creature and hurried over the bare ground. There was some odd looking grass in front of me. I could hide in there. I made it across, as the creature was not very fast and another, larger one with longer fur on its head had grabbed the younger one's paw. I plunged into the tall odd grass and into water.

My legs went under. The water reached up to my chest. I stumbled in it and it got into my mouth. I bounded through the water, looking for dryer ground. It was very hard to find. When I finally did, I was exhausted. My body hurt with all the panicked running I had done that day. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. I didn't get to as more cats came from the grass around me.

"That isn't the way to swim," a golden she-cat meowed with a laugh.

I warily looked at her.

"Is it a ShadowClan cat, Weavingreed?" a small she-cat asked. The she-cat leaned toward me and sniffed.

"He smells like one," she continued.

"No Mudpaw," Weavingreed answered. "ShadowClan was chasing him from their territory. He isn't one of theirs."

Now the last cat spoke.

"Who are you?" he challenged me.

"Deepforest," I heaved out. I hoped they weren't going to chase me too. If they did, I would be going farther from the mountain. At this point I only wanted to crawl home to my siblings. "I'm only passing through."

"Ah, a rogue," Weavingreed nodded.

"Then you better get off of our territory," the light brown tom meowed. He flicked his ears.

"Wait Beechfur," Weavingreed protested. "Maybe Leopardstar wants to talk with him. He could be one of Raven's."

Beechfur's ears went up at that. He gave Weavingreed an uncertain look before he nodded.

"You are probably right," he meowed. "Let's go."

He nudged me to my paws. I allowed him to because I didn't want to get into a fight and doing what they wanted seemed to be the safe idea. However I didn't know what they meant by Raven. How could I be a bird's? I could only wait until I met this Leopardstar.

* * *

**Well, I hoped you could understand my description of the twoleg nest. I really couldn't use some words because Deepforest wouldn't know them. Now, I'm not sure if the wall around the twoleg nest was made of stone or wood, like in the map in the book, but I made it stone.**


	5. Chapter 4: RiverClan

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _Icethroat21, VioletteRose, _and _Nightmist of ShadowWind Tribe.

_To Nightmist__ (and to the rest if you're interested): I might do a sequel on Falling's kits but I need to think of ideas. My mind is currently blank. To tell you the truth Falling into Shadow didn't have much of a plot for the first few chapters. Then I thought of Eveningbreeze's importance to the story. I have no clue what mallow is other than some plant from a swamp. Think of Marshmallows. And another thing, Deepforest is older than Brownfeather. He was born around the same time as Dewstep and Darkfire, just the Newleaf after (You'll learn a bit of his past as this goes on). He is a bit uncertain in this new territory but after he learns things from RiverClan he will be the cat you all know from FIS._

* * *

**Chapter 4: RiverClan  
**

They led me through their territory. I noticed how it seemed to get wetter the farther we went. For the most part I couldn't see anything through the reeds (they told me what the long grass was when I asked). My curiosity had gotten over my nervousness of the Clan cats and I questioned them on some things I saw. Mudpaw, I could tell, was laughing inside. Her eyes shone and her whiskers twitched. She was being polite though by not laughing in my face at how much I didn't know. Anyway, the territory was very wet. My paws kept slapping in the water with a loud noise. I noticed my escort was much quieter. They also didn't make water splash up into their faces or along their bellies. I had a very muddy underside by this time. I wanted to stop and clean it off.

As we went, I thought of more questions to ask of the three cats. This might be the only opportunity I got before Leopardstar made me leave. Then I'd have to go home to my siblings. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, but I did want to tell them more about the Clans other than that they lived on the other side of the mountains.

"Who are you?" I asked them.

"I'm Weavingreed," the golden tabby she-cat meowed. "That's Beechfur and his apprentice Mudpaw," she continued, waving her tail to her companions.

"Apprentice?" I asked, looking at the small, pale brown she-cat.

"A cat six to twelve moons," Beechfur meowed. "A warrior teaches them how to hunt and to fight. Eventually the apprentice becomes a warrior and gets a warrior name."

They didn't look at me as they explained and I found that easier to think and concentrate on walking through the puddles. I'd never been near anything this wet before. The creek where I used to live wasn't very wide or very deep. Hawthorn, Sky, Rabbit, and I only drank from it or used it to hunt as the prey drank. Here, there was water always underfoot and the tall, yellow-green stalks of the reeds. It was different from the forest.

"So who is Leopardstar?" I asked.

"She's our leader," Beechfur meowed.

Hmm, that made sense. Cats needed a leader. Many stories the traveling cats told us had been about cats with leaders. Usually having a leader kept the group safe and let some cat take the responsibility for everything, good and bad. I wondered how large this group was. Did they travel around a lot?

As I was thinking, we came to a stream. I stopped along the small bank as the other three cats almost submerged themselves into the swiftly moving water. I stared at them as they paddled across the water. Even the apprentice, though just out of kithood, looked like she was used to it.

"Are you coming?" Beechfur asked.

They turned and stared at me. I had a feeling this was a test. Would I go in the water with them or stay on the bank while they left me behind? I hesitantly put a paw into the water. It wasn't ice cold, but it wasn't warm either. I looked at the three cats. They didn't look like they were getting very wet. The water didn't cling to them. I hoped it wouldn't to me. I slowly lowered myself. The mud drifted out of my fur in the current. I continued to walk downward. And then the ground wasn't there.

My paws slipped out from under me. My head went under the water. I was scared. The water was all around me and I was moving downstream. I could hear a rushing sound and the wild throb of my heart the longer I was under. I also couldn't breath. I tried to yowl in fear but the water just filled my mouth. The more I tried to get it out, the less I seemed to be able to. Blackness started to fill my eyes, and then I felt my scruff being pulled.

I was dragged out of the stream by another cat. I coughed up the water I'd swallowed and gasped for air I didn't seem to be getting enough of. I felt weak as I laid on the ground. I couldn't think of anything other than the way I had been encompassed by the water. I had a feeling I would have died if I hadn't been rescued.

"That was mouse-brained," Weavingreed was hissing.

"How was I supposed to know he couldn't swim?" Beechfur demanded. He sounded right next to me. Perhaps he'd saved me.

"He isn't a RiverClan cat!" Weavingreed growled at him. "That's how."

"But the other Clans know a bit," Beechfur defended himself. "And if they don't, they usually refused to swim across and we have to show them the stepping stones. He didn't hesitate!"

Weavingreed muttered something under her breath and turned away from the tom. Mudpaw was sitting next to me, licking my wet fur dry. She was the first cat I noticed. I slowly blinked open my eyes and saw her. She gave me a look of concern.

"You should have told us you couldn't swim," she mewed. "We would have shown you another way."  
I didn't reply.

"Can you get up?" Weavingreed asked me.

"I think so," I wheezed out. It hurt even to breathe.

I slowly got to my feet. I felt weak even though I hadn't been under for very long. That was the first time I actually faced death. I didn't count the bear as I had gotten away from that unhurt. This time had been different. I had been helpless.

"Let's go," Beechfur meowed. He didn't look at me as he led the way.

We went over a few more streams, but the Clan cats led me easier ways. Over stepping stones or small bridges of branches. Finally we got to our destination. There was a small clearing where reeds and branches were entwined and bent over, creating dens. There were a few boulders and bushes. It was also a lot drier than the rest of the territory. For the first time since I got to this other Clan's territory, the ground was firm under my paws. I gratefully walked on the hard surface.

Beechfur and Weavingreed led me to one of the boulders. Beechfur told Mudpaw to get something to eat. The brown apprentice ran off. I only watched her for a moment because Beechfur was speaking to the rock.

"Leopardstar?" he asked. It sounded like he wasn't sure if any one would answer or not.

"I'm here," was the reply. The voice sounded scratchy. My ears pricked forward as a shape came out of the boulder's crack. **(A/N I have no idea what Leopardstar's den is. I also don't know anything about RiverClan, so what ever their camp looks like it all made up.)** The shape formed into an unusual spotted golden tabby she-cat. She was stunning. She might have been old, with a graying muzzle and cracking claws, but she had a fine shape and a lean body.

She looked over at me and met my eyes. She stared into them for a long time. I almost felt myself being drawn to her. Finally she looked away, breaking whatever connection she'd felt as well.

"Who is this?" she asked. It sounded almost like a challenge, but not quite, as if something was missing.

"He says his name is Deepforest," Beechfur answered. "We saw him dodging twolegs at the twoleg-greenleaf-place. ShadowClan had chased him there."

"ShadowClan?" Leopardstar looked fierce. "They didn't cross the border did they?"

Weavingreed shook her head as Beechfur made a negative sound.

"So why did you bring him here?" Leopardstar asked.

"We thought maybe he was one of Raven's rogues," Weavingreed meowed. "We thought maybe they had news."

Leopardstar finally looked back at me. "Well?"

"I don't know any Raven," I meowed.

I was worried that was the wrong answer. I was so tired from everything that had happened that day. I just wanted to rest. I didn't want to be chased away again.

"He's not," Leopardstar meowed unnecessarily to the two other cats. "Leave him alone with me."

Beechfur and Weavingreed shared a glance. They probably didn't understand why she'd want that. They didn't know me at all and I'd just declared myself a total stranger. Why would their leader trust herself with me? Reluctantly they did leave.

"Sit," Leopardstar meowed when they left. She did and curled her tail around her paws.

I copied her, not wanting to offend her.

"So why did you come here?" she asked.

"I wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain," I meowed. "I told my siblings I would make it over."

"The mountain?" she looked surprised. Her head looked like it was going to turn and face the direction the mountain was in. She stopped herself in time. I would have been grateful if she'd pointed it out. I had lost all direction in the reeds. If I knew where the mountain was, I could go home.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Are there Clans over there?" she asked.

"No," I shook my head. "Just me and my siblings."

"Do they have Clan names?" she asked.

"Clan names?" What did she mean?

"Your name," she meowed her eyes narrowed. "It's a Clan name. Deepforest," she pronounced the syllables. "What are your siblings called?"

"Rabbit and Sky."

Her ears lowered. "Why would your name be different?"

I hadn't really thought about the question before. Ever since I was young, I had noticed my name sounded different, but I hadn't really occurred to me why. Why had my mother chosen that name for me? Other than my for my green eyes. She could have called me anything. Like plain old Forest or Leaf. Instead she'd given me Deepforest. As I thought about it, it made me wonder if she'd ever had any contact with Clan cats before. I didn't know her passed life. She'd never told us because we were just young. By the time we were old enough, she'd been killed. We couldn't ask her to explain things.

Thinking about Hawthorn made me sad. I didn't want to remember her death or what had happened after. So instead I shrugged my shoulders in reply to the Clan leader.

She'd been watching me. She hadn't missed my sudden grief. Her eyes softened.

"I'm sorry I pressed," she meowed. "I just wondered. We had a few other rogues come last greenleaf. They had Clan names because their mother used to be a Clan cat. We all thought she was dead, but she'd ran off and had kits and then sent them back to join a Clan. I was just wondering."

"I'm not a Clan cat," I meowed.

She nodded her head. "But you could be."

I blinked. What was she saying?

"Would you like to join our Clan?" Leopardstar asked me.

I looked at her in shock. She was inviting me? She didn't even know me!

"You could at least stay and learn more," she continued. "Then you can decide whether you'd like to join."

"I'd like to try," I told her. I knew if I didn't accept, I'd have to leave the Clan's territory and I had to stay to go back over the mountain by the way I knew. I could possibly see landmarks I remembered and get back to my siblings when I needed to. I would join her Clan now. Or at least learn about it. What a story it would make to Rabbit and Sky!

"I'd like to learn about the Clan."

Leopardstar seemed satisfied. She nodded to me. "Let's introduce you to the Clan."

She quickly walked passed me and jumped onto her boulder and stood high above the ground. I had to strain my head to look up at her.

At this time, I didn't understand that she shouldn't have invited me to be in her Clan so quickly. I thought because she was the leader, anything she said went. It was only later I realized she should have consulted the older warriors. But I was new and it was only my first day and I knew nothing about Clan life. I was uncertain for the longest time why many cats despised me. For a long time I didn't understand.

But that was later, at this time Leopardstar jumped up on her rock and she summoned her Clan. They came from all around, from the reed dens and the water. I turned around to face them when I heard their noises. I was stunned at how many cats there were. All their eyes were on me. I was a little nervous.

"Weavingreed and Beechfur brought a cat to us. ShadowClan chased him from their territory. At first, Weavingreed and Beechfur believed he was from Raven's Clan. He is not, but he is a rogue interested in Clan life. I've invited him to learn of our ways."

The Clan meowed in shock, staring at Leopardstar and at me with wide eyes.

"His name is Deepforest," Leopardstar spoke over them. "The apprentices and Pinefur will teach him. That is all."

She jumped down and went back to her den without staying to listen to her Cats. I was left in front of them. Many went back to what they'd been doing before. Others stared at me. I saw anger and hate in their eyes. I had to force my fur to stay flat and my claws to stay in. I didn't like their hostility and I didn't want to provoke them to attack.

A short haired tabby she-cat came to me. I warily looked at the she-cat. Mudpaw was with her. She gave me a warm smile.

"I'm Pinefur," the she-cat meowed to me. "Mudpaw you met. I'll let her show you around camp. Tomorrow I'll show you the territory."

Then the tabby left.

Mudpaw waved her tail and I followed her, glad to get away from all of the cats.

"This is the RiverClan camp," she meowed. "Over there is the lake. On the other side of the lake is ThunderClan. Next to them and on our border is ShadowClan. WindClan is on our other border."

"How many Clans are there?" I asked as we walked. I tried to visualize all that she said. What was a lake?

"Four," she replied.

And there were many cats in each. My head swam. There were more cats in the world than I'd ever dreamed of. It was stunning.

* * *

**Next Chapter coming soon.**

**Does anyone know if Mistyfoot is younger or older than Leopardstar? (I assume the answer would be in Bluestar's Prophesy)  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Being an Apprentice

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

Thanks to my reviewers: Moonriver of AirClan, Icethroat21, VioletteRose, SuperOreoMan,

* * *

**Chapter 5: Being an Apprentice  
**

"Well, this is our camp," Mudpaw meowed again. "Over there is the nursery. The kits and queens live there. This is the apprentice den. That is the medicine cat den, the leader's den, warriors' den, and elders' den."

As she spoke, her ears and tail flicked around, showing me what places she was talking about. I wished she'd explained more because I didn't know what she meant by elders and medicine cats. I did get one wish. We stopped next to the elders' den. We quickly ducked inside. Two cats were laying around. When we walked in, they perked up.

"What was going on out there?" a gray she-cat with blue eyes asked.

Mudpaw explained.

The elders looked at me. The smokey tom's lip curled. I could tell he didn't like me. We didn't spend a long time in there as the she-cat told Mudpaw to bring food back. We quickly left.

"That was Mistyfoot," Mudpaw explained to me in a whisper. "She used to be deputy, but last season she retired. She said she was getting old and it was time for a younger warrior to serve their Clan as deputy. She's almost as old as Leopardstar after all." **(A/N My thanks to Icethroat21 for helping decide she wasn't older like I thought she was.)**

"Oh." I nodded. I still wasn't sure about Clan positions, but it seemed Mistyfoot had been something grand before becoming an elder. I had a feeling that meant I should respect her.

Mudpaw took me to a pile of food which she called the fresh-kill pile and said the apprentices and warriors kept stocked. Mudpaw told me to pick something. I did and we carried the prey to the elders. After that was done, I noticed that it was evening. I wondered where I'd sleep. Mudpaw solved my problem. She took me to the apprentice den.

"I know you're old enough to be a warrior," she explained, sounding embarrassed, "but Leopardstar said the apprentices were supposed to look after you and you are training to be a warrior. So you can stay with us. You don't have to You can sleep outside, but I think everyone would feel better if you were in a den."

She didn't look at me when she was done speaking. I thought over what she said. I was used to sleeping alone and somethings in the open. That didn't bother me, but I knew I probably should get to know the cats in the Clan.

"I'll sleep with you," I told her.

She met my eyes and gave a quick smile before going inside the den of woven reeds and branches. I followed her. Three other cats were inside.

"This is Duckpaw, my brother," Mudpaw meowed. "And Flowerpaw and Bigpaw. Shimmerpaw and Cloudpaw are still out."

"Why does everyone's name end in 'paw'?"I asked.

Bigpaw snorted with laughter. So he wasn't asleep yet. Duckpaw opened his eyes and glared at Bigpaw. The tom still smiled but kept his eyes closed. She she-cat next to him made no reaction and I thought she really was asleep. Her mouth was half open and her paws twitched.

"It's 'cause we're apprentices," Duckpaw meowed. "We only get our warrior names at our ceremony. Kits have 'kit' at the end of their names until they become apprentices."

"Oh," I was glad he'd explained. I was embarrassed by Bigpaw's reaction and I felt like I wanted to leave the den in humiliation.

"Come on," Mudpaw meowed. "We have a busy day tomorrow."

She laid down next to her brother. I stayed near them, not wanting to get near Bigpaw. He might have laughed now, but later that emotion could change to anger. Sky was always like that before she attacked.

********

I didn't sleep for a while as I had to make dirt. Before Shimmerpaw and Cloudpaw, came I quietly asked Mudpaw where I could go. She tiredly opened her eyes and reluctantly got up. She walked to the den entrance and told me where to go. I looked where she explained and then thanked her. She went back inside and I went to the dirt-place.

On my way back to the apprentice den, I heard the voices. My ears twitched to the direction they were coming from. It interested me that someone was having a discussion in the camp. I knew I was new, but that didn't stop me from sneaking over to listen in on the conversation being held in Leopardstar's den. At the time, there weren't any night guards as there usually were every night. Not only was it early night, but most of the senior warriors were in this meeting. The Clan felt safe without a night guard if they were awake. However, at this time, I didn't know anything about night guards. When I think back on it, I can only be grateful how lucky I was I wasn't seen.

I slunk over to Leopardstar's den and sat just outside. My ears narrowed in on the den's crack. It sounded as if five cats were inside.

"--not let him in," a she-cat hissed.

"Don't tell me what to do," Leopardstar growled in answer.

"You didn't even ask us!" a tom protested.

"I didn't need to," the Clan leader defended herself. "He's a good tom. He's not here to cause trouble."

"He's a rouge, they're all trouble," the first she-cat growled.

"How can you say that? Raven wasn't trouble. We taught his rogues a thing or two and they formed a Clan!" it was another tom.

"Thank you, Rippletail," Leopardstar meowed. "He's right. Just think about Dewstep. He was also a rogue but now he's loyal to the ThunderClan. We need a cat like that."

"But that takes time. We have to teach him everything," the other she-cat protested. "He's completely oblivious to things even a kit knows."

I felt my fur bristle. I was not unaware! I knew things. I could hunt, I had climbed a mountain, I had fought before. I just didn't know what being a Clan cat meant. I would make sure I'd learn quickly so this she-cat couldn't say differently. So she couldn't say I didn't belong and that I was a bird-head **(Deepforest's equivalent to mouse-brained.)** I vowed I would be the best Clan cat there was.

"It takes time to teach apprentice," Leopardstar was meowing. "I'm sure he already knows things the apprentices don't. Besides, with their help, he'll be good in a moon."

Finally the last cat spoke. I recognized him as Beechfur.

"I think it might work. I'll even help teach him to swim."

He must have been feeling bad about almost letting me drown that day. I wasn't sure if I wanted to learn how to swim. Remembering the stream's grasp made me shiver.

"You still should have asked us first," the she-cat meowed.

"You decisions affect the whole Clan," the tom who was not Beechfur or Rippletail meowed. "This could have been disastrous."

"It isn't," Leopardstar spat. "He still has to make his choice anyway. He's only learning for now. If he doesn't think he's suited to being a RiverClan cat he can leave. And so can you."

I understood the dismissal. I quickly backed away and then raced to the apprentice den. I didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. I had learned some important things that night. One that I was going to try and learn Clan ways quickly, two that Leopardstar and Beechfur were on my side, and three that when the time came I could leave. I wondered if I would. I mean I know I'd told my siblings I'd be back, but what if I liked Clan life better. perhaps I'd let them believe I'd died on the mountain. That might be best if I ended up like being in RiverClan.

When I got to the apprentice den, the last two apprentices had arrived. I didn't know who to assume Cloudpaw was because both cats were white. The tom was sleeping next to Duckpaw and Mudpaw and the she-cat was on her own. She looked old enough to be a warrior, or so I assumed. She slept with her paws at an odd angle. I wondered if she'd been injured.

I turned away from her and laid next to my new friends. It was time to get some sleep.

********

Morning came and I was famished. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. I really was starving. But I sat in the apprentice den, waiting for Mudpaw to get up. I wasn't sure if there was some rule about picking food from the fresh-kill pile. Was there a certain order? Did apprentices eat last or did they have to catch their own food? I was completely uncertain and that firmed my resolve to learn about the Clan ways further.

Mudpaw wasn't the first to wake. Bigpaw and Flowerpaw had gotten up a while ago, but I wasn't comfortable with the two and didn't go with them to see what they did. Finally the pale she-cat started to stir. When she opened her eyes she saw me watching her. She looked confused for a moment. Then her eyes cleared. She got up and stretched. She nudged her brother, Duckpaw, until he opened his eyes.

"Good morning," she meowed to me.

"Good morning," I replied.

My stomach growled loudly. She laughed and led the way out.

The bright sunshine hurt my eyes when we left the den. I wasn't blinded totally. I could see the other two apprentices eating nearby. They were nearly finished. I could also see the fresh-kill pile. There were still some pieces.

"Is there any order to taking food?" I asked her as we walked to it.

"Well, queens, kits, and elders get fed first," she meowed, "but other than that, no."

"Do we have to feed them?" I asked. I didn't want to wait any longer.

"No," Mudpaw shook her head. "Duckpaw will take care of that."

So I picked out a water vole. She picked up an odd looking scaled creature. The more I looked at it, I thought it was a fish. But it was huge! I'd only seen the small paw sized ones in the creek at home.

Mudpaw carried her large fish to the apprentice den and sat outside. Bigpaw and Flowerpaw scooted away. I ignored them and joined her on her other side. The white tom came out of the den and looked at Mudpaw.

"Share?" he asked.

Mudpaw nodded her head. The white tom lowered his head and ate with her. I didn't watch them long before I stared eating.

The white she-cat limped out of the den. Her spots sparkled in the sun. Duckpaw was with her. I thought about the fish. I'd had one of the small ones before. They were so swift and hardly a mouthful that it wasn't worth catching them again.

As Bigpaw and Flowerpaw finished and ran out of camp, Duckpaw took the remaining prey to the nursery and to the elder's den. By now the warriors were getting out of their dens. I noticed a group leaving the camp together.

"What are they doing?" I asked Mudpaw.

"Going on a hunting patrol," she replied after she swallowed.

"Hunting patrol?"

"They catch prey and bring it back to the fresh kill pile. That way everyone can eat," Mudpaw explained.

"How often do they do that?" I asked, determined to learn everything about the Clan that I could, mindful of the critical she-cat that had spoken to Leopardstar last night.

"As often as they need to," the white tom replied.

"Are their other patrols?" I asked.

They nodded their heads.

"Dawn patrol, sunhigh patrol, evening patrol, and some times a night one. They check the borders, renewing our scents and making sure the other Clan's haven't trespassed," Mudpaw explained.

I continued to ask them more questioned about the patrols. I wasn't even finished when only bones and scales were left on the fish.

"We have to go," the white tom meowed. "Our mentors are waiting."

Mudpaw nodded.

"Come on, Deepforest," she meowed. "Every morning we meet our mentors on the training hill."

I quickly followed them after we buried the bones. As we walked I asked them questions about the things in the RiverClan territory. Different plants, different prey, how they hunted, why did they like water. I could tell they were impatient with all my questions. they just wanted to go. Finally we reached an area. We weren't in the reeds anymore. There was only grass under our paws and the ground sloped upward. On top of the small mound were three warriors. I saw Beechfur, Pinefur, and a light gray tabby tom.

"Sorry we're late," Mudpaw meowed her head bowed.

"Deepforest kept asking questions," the white apprentice meowed resentfully.

I looked down ashamed. I hadn't mean to make us late. I just didn't want to be useless because I didn't know anything.

"It's all right," Beechfur meowed.

"Come on Cloudpaw," the tabby tom meowed. "We're going hunting."

Cloudpaw brightened and hurried after his mentor.

Mudpaw and I sat in front of our mentors.

"Today Deepforest will learn how to swim," Beechfur meowed. "And I'm teaching him."

"What am I supposed to do?" Mudpaw asked, surprised.

"Help," Pinefur meowed.

Mudpaw didn't look happy.


	7. Chapter 6: StarClan

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to all those marvelous Reviewers: _Oo-Rainpath-oO, Icethroat21, Iced Skim Decaf Mocha Latte, _and _nightmist of shadowwind tribe.

_Summery: Deepforest is in RiverClan. He is determined to learn Clan ways._

* * *

**Chapter 6: StarClan**

I cautiously put my paws in the water. Beechfur assured me it wasn't deep.

"It will only reach your belly," he told me. "You just have to get in."

He demonstrated. He stood in the middle of the shallow part of the stream. Mudpaw followed. She might not like learning how to swim again, but she'd do whatever her mentor wanted. On her, the water reached her chest. Then I watched her sink. I looked on in shock, but she wasn't panicking. She'd started swimming in a tight circle.

"See," Pinefur nodded. "That's all you need to do. You won't drown here."

I closed my eyes and breathed in deep. I had to do this. I blocked out the memory of the last time, and stepped into the water. I opened my eyes as I quickly joined Beechfur.

"Just pull your legs up," he told me.

I did, trusting him, and my face went underwater. I sputtered as I came back up.

"That didn't work," Mudpaw meowed, looking at her mentor.

He frowned. He really seemed puzzled. He couldn't figure out how I didn't know how to swim. I wasn't sure what they were doing or wanted me to do, but pulling up my legs didn't help me swim as gracefully as they did.

"How do you teach the kits?" I asked, coughing out some of the water. My nose hurt.

"They-" Mudpaw cocked her head and looked at Pinefur and then Beechfur.

"You were a natural," Beechfur told her with a smile.

"Most kits know what to do," Pinefur meowed. "The queens take them to a puddle while they're young. The kits play around it for a while, just splashing each other. Eventually they get in and paddle just like Mudpaw was doing."

My ears dropped. That she-cat in Leopardstar's den was right. I couldn't even do what kits knew how.

Mudpaw noticed my sadness. She looked at me in pity.

"When you pick up your legs, act like you're walking," she suggested.

I nodded and tried again. This time I didn't immediately sink, but my paws kept hitting the muddy bottom of the stream. Eventually I couldn't keep my head up.

"That was better," Pinefur meowed brightly. "Once more."

I complied. I wanted to learn how to swim. I had to be a RiverClan cat. This time was better and my head stayed up longer. When that was done, Beechfur walked out of the water. It looked like my lesson was done. I hadn't even swum though! Pinefur saw that I wasn't getting out of the water.

"You can try again tomorrow," she told me. "Beechfur and Mudpaw have to get training, and I have to show you the territory."

"Do you want us to come along?" Beechfur asked.

Mudpaw got back to frowning. Clearly she wanted to train alone with her mentor. Pinefur shook her head.

"Why aren't you so wet?" I asked, coming out of the water.

My fur was soaked to the undercoat. Only their top fur looked a bit damp and a few wet streaks ran down to the ground.

"We eat fish," Beechfur explained. "It helps. If you eat more fish, then you won't get so wet either."

I blinked in surprise.

"Why?" I asked.

"Something in the meat," Pinefur answered. She didn't look interested in debating reasons.

Beechfur and Mudpaw waved their tails goodbye and disappeared into the reeds. I quickly followed my mentor. She took me in a direction that I was sure was away from camp. We walked out of the reeds and onto the grass. We walked to a long, hard, black thing. It stretched from horizon to horizon, but it wasn't really wide. Only a few fox lengths.

"What is this?" I asked.

I stopped next to her though I longed to place a paw on it.

"The Thunderpath," she growled.

I could tell her disdain.

'Thunderpath' meant nothing to me.

"The twolegs and their monsters use this," Pinefur answered my unasked question.

"Monsters?" I asked. I knew twolegs. I could remember their tallness and furless, clawless paws as they reached for me. I shuddered. What was more monstrous than that?

"I don't see any at the moment," she meowed, staring at the two ends of the thunderpath.

"Sometimes they come, but not always. Maybe some other time," she meowed.

Pinefur quickly turned and started walking along next to the black path. Suddenly we came to another tall structure like the one I'd seen in the forest where the two cats told me about the Clans. This wasn't made out of stone though and there were some odd, tall creatures running around in the enclosure.

"What are those?" I asked as they raced back and forth. Then they stilled, lowering their heads to the ground where they snuffled the ground.

"Horses," Pinefur meowed. "They stay in their pen. Twolegs ride them on occasion."

It was hard to imagine that.

"A few cats live in the barn," she nodded to the second wooden structure. We walked by. "They aren't kittypets exactly, but they do get their food from the twolegs when they aren't hunting the mice in the barn."

Pinefur walked on. We came to a wide-open space where tall, yellow grass covered rolling hills.

"This is the WindClan moor," she meowed. "Smell."

I did. I breathed in deep. A scent of cats hit me. It was very fresh. I could tell differences. Though I could smell RiverClan, there was also a scent of heather and rabbits in the other cats. That had to be WindClan.

"Who leads them?" I asked.

"Onestar," Pinefur meowed. "And Ashfoot is the deputy."

"Do leaders names end in 'star'?" I asked, noticing the similarity between Onestar's and Leopardstar's names.

Pinefur nodded. She then walked away, the twoleg place at her back. We came to a very large body of water. Waves rippled to the pebbly shore. I stared at the large water.

"This is the lake," Pinefur meowed. She watched as I stared into the gray water. I cautiously walked forward so my paws were lapped by the edge of the lake. It was cold. I could see shadowed shapes moving in the deeper parts of the water.

"Are those fish?" I asked.

Pinefur nodded.

"Do you catch them in here?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "We also catch them in the streams."

"Could you show me?" I asked.

"Not now," she shook her head. "You can learn that later."

I stared into the water for longer. It was mostly clear and I could see the bottom. It was a bit rocky but slowly became muddy. Plants waved in the water. It was mesmerizing.

"Do you see the forest over there?" Pinefur asked.

I looked up. Her head was nodded over to the other side of the lake, near WindClan territory. I saw the forest. The leaves of the trees were golden and red. I could see they were starting to fall.

"Yes," I meowed.

"That's ThunderClan's land. Firestar and Brambleclaw have that territory."

"Oh," I meowed.

"RiverClan is currently allies with ThunderClan," Pinefur continued. "They're the farthest away so we are not competing for prey."

I looked along the far shore. I could see where the leaf trees gave away to needle bearing trees.

"What's that?" I asked. I was sure it wasn't ThunderClan's.

"ShadowClan territory," she meowed. "Come on."

So I followed her as we walked along the shore. We entered the reeds soon and had to bound over a few water ways. Pinefur had to show me small bridges over the wider and deeper streams. Then we were there. It was the place I'd entered RiverClan territory at. I could see a few twolegs wandering the empty area. My fur bristled.

"ShadowClan territory starts on the other side," Pinefur meowed as we crouched underneath the few bushes. "You probably can't smell them from here."

"How long will the twolegs be here?" I asked, staring at them.

"They'll be gone soon," she meowed. "Usually they've all left by now. Only a few stay. They come for the fish."

She looked mad. "Thankfully, the kits only stay during greenleaf."

I was glad that they wouldn't stay for long. They scared me. Pinefur turned away from the twolegs and led me back into RiverClan land.

"We have to do something about that," she meowed.

"About what?" I asked.

"All that splashing," she meowed.

I noticed what she meant now. I still wasn't any better at walking through the marsh. My underside was wet and muddy again. I'd mostly given up on caring since I'd have to wash it off when I got back to camp. But if she could help me, I'd be thrilled.

"How?" I eagerly asked.

So she told me how to place my paws softer and to almost skim them along instead of pushing down hard like I usually do. She said that was the main mistake of the other Clans. They didn't know how to walk in the water and so RiverClan usually knew if they were trespassing. They could either hear them or see the effects: mud splatters, bent reeds, and cloudy water.

"We have to teach you how to be a RiverClan cat," Pinefur meowed as she watched me walking over and over again in the same spot. She'd sometimes correct me. "This should make hunting easier."

Soon she stopped me and we walked back to camp. I noticed that it was getting late. This day had gone by so fast. I had been very busy and that had been good. The fresh-kill pile was full again and I saw the other apprentices around their den. I quickly joined them.

"What did you do today?" I asked Mudpaw.

"Hunting," she meowed.

"I can't wait to do that," I meowed. "Pinefur was helping me walk quietly."

"About time," Bigpaw snorted.

I glared at him. His sister, Flowerpaw, giggled.

Mudpaw glared at them too. Then she turned to me. "Good job then. I'm sure you'll be hunting in no time."

**_-Line-_**

Swimming lessons were every morning. Beechfur and Mudpaw were in the water encouraging me while Pinefur tried to help from the bank as she could see better from there. Daily, the water got deeper and the current swifter. I slowly learned how to swim. After the lessons, Pinefur took me around the territory. She continued to teach me how to walk quietly until soon I was as good as any RiverClan cat. Then I was taught how to hunt in the wet land. I learned how to fish and how to catch prey in the reeds.

The best thing Pinefur taught me was how to battle. I didn't know there were so many moves I could do to defend or attack. I'd only known claws and teeth before I came to the Clan. Pinefur taught me how to twist, weave, duck, and deceive. I could look like I was doing one sort of attack when I was really doing another. I loved the power I had over my body and my enemies. It was enjoyable for me to battle when I could. Unfortunately Pinefur was the only cat I could practice on. The apprentices were all too young and too small for me and the other warriors didn't practice fight unless it was against the apprentice, which I wasn't really one of. Shimmerpaw might have fought with me, but she felt a bit awkward around me. I could tell. I didn't make friends with her but she wasn't an enemy like Bigpaw or Flowerpaw.

And then the day came that she became a warrior. Near evening, Leopardstar called the Clan. I followed Mudpaw from where we sat near the apprentice den. In noticed Shimmerpaw sitting next to Rainstorm, her mentor, under the Smooth Stone **(A/N Leopardstar's meeting rock. Remember I just came up with it)**.

I watched with interest, wondering what was going on. I wanted to ask Mudpaw, but she was looking away from me, trying to get Cloudpaw to talk with her. I knew she was avoiding my questions. I felt my heart sink. I might be annoying but I was just interested in learning Clan ways. Lately I had noticed Mudpaw becoming short with me and wanting to spend time with other cats in our free time.

Finally all the Clan was there. Leopardstar began speaking again.

"Shimmerpaw has been held back from being a warrior for long enough. It is time for her to have her warrior name."

The Clan yowled in agreement. I was stunned at their ferocity.

"Why was she held back?" I whispered to Mudpaw.

"Her paws were cut on shiny twoleg garbage near the thunderpath," she whispered back, not looking at me.

I quickly looked back at Shimmerpaw. Leopardstar waved her tail to quiet the Clan.

"I, Leopardstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Shimmerpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Shimmerpaw meowed fervently, her eyes shining in the light of the large moon.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Leopardstar meowed with a proud smile. "Shimmerpaw from this moment on you will be known as Shimmerbreeze. StarClan honors your patience and vigor and we welcome you as a full member of RiverClan."

The Clan chanted her new name. I quickly joined in. My clear voice rising with the rest.

"Shimmerbreeze will now sit silent vigil for the night," Leopardstar finished when the Clan was done.

"Why is that?" I asked Mudpaw as the Clan went to congratulate Shimmerbreeze. Mudpaw was leading the way there.

"So she can think about what being a warrior means and how she can serve."

I was in awe. A cat had to do all that? I hadn't realized how important this was to the apprentices.

Then we reached the new warrior.

"Good job, Shimmerbreeze," Mudpaw smiled at her friend. "It was worth the wait, yes?"

"Never," Shimmerbreeze purred. "I'm so glad I'm finally a warrior."

"Congratulation," I meowed to Shimmerbreeze.

She gave a tight uncertain smile back.

We quickly left her as other cats came to speak with her before she had to be silent.

"Did Leopardstar come up with 'Shimmerbreeze' herself?" I asked about the name.

"Yes," Mudpaw answered shortly.

"Does it have a meaning?"

"Sometimes."

"What does 'breeze' mean?"

"I don't know. It could just be between Leopardstar and Shimmerbreeze or Leopardstar and StarClan."

"StarClan?"

In all the time I'd learned of the Clan and the warrior code I'd just heard the name in passing. But I'd never learned of this fifth Clan's territory. Why were they so mysterious? By now we'd entered the apprentice den. Mudpaw sighed and gave me an annoyed look.

"They're our warrior ancestors. They're everyone who dies. They form Silverpelt in the night sky," she explained. Her tail waved upward to the unseen sky. "Our leaders receive nine lives from them and our medicine cat is guided by StarClan."

That was the first time I'd learned of leaders having nine lives. I blinked in surprise. That interested me. Did they really have nine lives to live and die? How did that work? But I was more concerned with StarClan.

"Does every cat go there?" I asked anxiously.

Mudpaw shrugged. "Our ancestors do. I don't know about rogues and kittypets."

I was quiet after that. I was thinking about Hawthorn. Where had she gone after her death? Was she aimlessly wandering the night skies? I'd always thought there was nothing when a cat died. You just went out and there was nothing more, but now I was worried. Was Hawthorn's murderer roaming the stars with her? Was he still hunting her or did he want revenge against his own killers? That made me nervous.

Mudpaw looked relieved at my silence. She quickly laid down. I knew I was starting to bother her. I was constantly with her, when I wasn't out training with Pinefur, and asking her questions. She was becoming to despise me. I was annoying to her. I took time away from her and her being with her brothers or alone with the other apprentices. I was a cat of warrior age who knew nothing and needed her to tell me things. Perhaps that lowered my respect in her eyes. I couldn't leave her though. She was the only one I could ask these things. Bigpaw and Flowerpaw wanted nothing to do with me, the warriors saw me as an apprentice or disliked that I was a rogue, and Cloudpaw and Duckpaw were with Mudpaw all the time. I had no one else to turn to. I knew Pinefur wanted her time away from me when she could get it. It wasn't that she hated me, it was just that she had warrior things to do. I was with her a lot on hunting patrol or border patrols. I knew all of the cats in the Clan but none were my friends.

Besides, if I left Mudpaw for Shimmerbreeze who was more of my age, the Clan would notice and wonder what was going on. Shimmerbreeze would be confused and so would the rest of the Clan. They always saw me with Mudpaw and that was what they expected. I couldn't find someone else. That meant Mudpaw would have to put up with me.

I looked down at the pale brown she-cat. She was already asleep. I sighed and lowered myself next to her. Perhaps I could make it up to her somehow. Maybe if I was less persistent. I did wonder how long I'd have to live in the apprentice den for. It had almost been a moon since I entered RiverClan.

* * *

**I hoped that answered a few questions. Mudpaw might have liked him at first, but that changed, Nightmist.**

**Also, Shimmerbreeze might sound similar to Eveningbreeze, but I came up with SB first in Falling into Shadow. Then everyone voted Eveningfrost's name to be Eveningbreeze. Hope that clears up something else. To the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7: A Gathering

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Gathering  
**

The night of the Gathering came only two days later. I was looking forward to meeting these other Clans and seeing the cats Mudpaw spoke of.

"How long have you been an apprentice and how many Gatherings have you been to?" I asked Mudpaw as we made our way to the lake.

Leopardstar had allowed me to come to this Gathering and I was eager to be a part of it. Now all I needed was more information on what happened during one.

"Three moons," Mudpaw replied. "Once before."

"What's it like?"

"Usually boring," Duckpaw answered, saving his sister. "The elders and warriors have good stories if you can coax them to tell. The only thing we really do is find enemies and reunite with cats we know."

I noticed he didn't say 'friends'. Cats didn't have friends in other Clans. I remembered Pinefur saying that do me earlier.

We came to the lake. The stars shone on the surface. It looked like the sky was in the water. I looked at it. And I looked at the island we were making our way to. I was grateful there was a fallen tree bridging the gap between the land. I wouldn't have wanted to swim no matter how good I was getting. I knew the story how the tree had gotten there. I felt sad for Mudclaw getting killed, but I was glad there was a bridge for me to use.

Now I balanced my way across. My claws dug into the smooth surface. I jumped to the ground on the other side. The RiverClan cats moved to cover the island. We were the first Clan there as we were the closest. I looked around the island at the parts I could see. I longed to explore all the hidden places. I hadn't been there before and I really wanted to see everything. But I was uncertain if I was allowed to.

I quickly spotted Mudpaw and her brothers crouching together near the big tree the leaders would sit. I quickly started walking over there. I noticed how she and her brothers were whispering to each other. I wondered what they were talking about. Mudpaw was shaking her head. Then she glanced up and saw me coming. She quickly jumped up and came to me.

"How about you stay over here," she meowed in a bright voice as she led me away.

I came with her wondering what for. Before I could open my mouth to ask, she continued.

"You can watch all the Clans from here. Watch and listen. You can see the leaders when they sit in the tree. This is the best spot."

By now I realized she just wanted to get rid of me. She didn't want me sitting with her and her brothers and the other apprentices when they came. It was probably because I was older than them all. That, or she didn't want me asking strange questions in front of the other Clans. I sighed, but agreed to stay. She quickly left to go back to her brothers. I stayed where I was.

Then another Clan showed. As they flowed over the tree and onto the island, I smelled heather and rabbits. It had to be WindClan. A brown tabby tom approached the tall tree in the center of the island's clearing. He jumped into the branches, sitting near Leopardstar. He had to be Onestar. A gray she-cat joined Rainstorm. She had to be Ashfoot the deputy.

I immediately noticed the differences in the clans. It wasn't just physical. Though WindClan was skinny and long legged compared with robust RiverClan, they also acted different. RiverClan was spread out over the island in small groups, chatting and chasing each other, having fun. WindClan glared and huddled together. I noticed their apprentices didn't join Mudpaw's group. They stayed together in the back of the island. I was shocked at WindClan's unfriendliness. I'd thought they would have been nicer at the Gathering where the Clans all got together in peace. I watched them for a while. Then another Clan came. It was a small group. They huddled together just like WindClan when they got off of the fallen tree, but they looked suspicious, not annoyed and unfriendly. They went to the opposite side from WindClan. They stayed near the leader's tree after their own dark brown leader jumped into the low branches.

At this time a few WindClan warriors separated from their Clan. It wasn't many, just a few, and they went to join the RiverClan cats that had gotten back together in their age groups. I could hear them starting to talk. Then the last Clan came. They were a large group. The moment they touched the island, they spread out like water. These cats only avoided ShadowClan and WindClan. There were a few glares shared between the three Clans. I was relieved to see not all the Clans were like ShadowClan and WindClan. I'd started to worry that RiverClan was the only normal Clan. I watched ThunderClan join RiverClan and the volume of the talking increased and smiles go around.

A few cats came to me, wondering who I was.

"I haven't seen you before," one meowed. "Who are you?"

"You smell like RiverClan," the other meowed sniffing.

"I'm Deepforest," I answered, facing them. I saw surprise when they met my eyes. "Leopardstar invited me into her Clan," I explained.

"Oh," the first meowed, "Good luck."

Then they left. I saw them shoot glances at me over their shoulders. I noticed other whispers and glances as more cats saw me. I wasn't sure I liked their attention. It was strange to feel all their eyes on me. I tried to ignore them by pretending they weren't there. I noticed Mudpaw's group had gained more apprentices. They were all huddled together in the cold night air, keeping warm. I could feel how near the lake the air had grown colder. It was leaf-fall after all. I'd left my family in late greenleaf and crossing the mountain had taken about two moons.

I longingly looked over at Mudpaw's group, wishing I had some one to share heat with. They weren't paying attention to me. Instead, they were avidly in a conversation. One apprentice kept looking around with a excited expression. This had to be her first as well. I looked away. My attention when to the tree where the leaders were.

Then suddenly a leader gave a cry. The Gathering was to start. I saw flame-colored Firestar sitting next to Leopardstar, Onestar on my leader's right, and Kinkstar at the far end.

Onestar was the first to speak. He stepped forward and the other leaders had given way for him to speak.

"My Clan welcomes the birth to four kits. Sunfrost has given birth to Yellowkit, Twokit, Streamkit, and Smallkit."

I blinked in shock that so many had lived. Even the rest of the Clans murmured in surprise and well wishes that Sunfrost could take care of them all.

"Our Clan has been bothered by dogs but we've been safe," he continued. "Our food is holding out this leaf-fall."

And he stepped back. Leopardstar took his place. I noticed how much older she looked than the other three leaders. Gray fur covered her muzzle and her voice was raspy.

"We have a new warrior. Shimmerbreeze."

The white cat with the spots that shined with the moon light stood. Many cats cheered her name. Her tail curled in pleasure at their calls of encouragement. She seemed to be a favorite among them. Perhaps they too knew her story about her wounded paws. Then Leopardstar continued.

"Deepforest, a rogue, came to us a quarter moon ago. He wishes to learn Clan life and RiverClan is willing to teach him."

I was surprised as she brought me up. I felt more eyes turn to me.

"How do you know he isn't like Sol?" Kinkstar growled. Her fur was sticking out at all angles. The deep shadows from the tree branches crossed her body and she was half in shadow. It was a bit unnerving as her Clan grumbled and glared at me with threats in their eyes. I stared back as calmly as I could as if their threats didn't bother me though inside I was scared that they might attack. I knew there was a truce, but Mudpaw had said it was broken before.

"You remember Raven," Leopardstar growled in reply.

I was glad she was sticking up for me. I had heard about Sol from RiverClan. I knew how that odd tom had almost ruined ShadowClan and had started making them believe StarClan wasn't real.

The Clan Leaders nodded in reply to Leopardstar. They knew Raven, that cat I seemed to be marked by though I'd never met him.

"He was a rogue," Leopardstar meowed. "He wasn't like Sol. He banded cats together and tried to help our Clans. Deepforest will not be like Sol either," she meowed firmly.

"No, I will not," I meowed to all of the Clans, turning to face them. "I do not wish to turn you against StarClan."

Leopardstar didn't say anything else, letting my word be the last thing from RiverClan, but I wasn't paying attention. I'd realized what I said was true. I didn't want to turn the Clans against StarClan. StarClan had banded these cats together and given them the code that ran their life. StarClan was good. I really wanted to know more about the cats. I certainly didn't want to drive anyone away from their ancestors. I really wanted to meet one of the starry warriors actually. But I didn't want to die to do it. I'd have to come up with another way.

Kinkstar was next. She reported the birth of Dawncloud's one kit, Dapplekit, and introduced three new warriors in her Clan.

"We welcome Stoneheart, Eveningbreeze, and Fernstripe into our Clan," she meowed.

The three warriors stood. I recognized the two apprentices that had been with their mentors as they chased me from the ShadowClan land. The mentors looked proud of their apprentices. I frowned. I wasn't sure I liked ShadowClan very much. All of the Clans chanted the three warriors names as they had Shimmerbreeze's.  
Kinkstar didn't say anything else as the chanting died down. She let Firestar have her place.

"We have a new warrior," Firestar meowed. "Brindlenose."

A light tabby with a gray nose stood up and the other cats welcomed her. I noticed it was a lot more than the ShadowClan warriors had gotten. Brindlenose must have been well known as well.

Firestar said something more on how well his Clan was fairing. When he was done, the Clans didn't stay for long. WindClan was the first to leave. I sat where I was, unsure if I should find my Clan and risk getting lost in the crowd. Then a cat bumped into me.

"What do you want?" she spat at me angrily.

I blinked in surprise at looked down at her. It was the apprentice I'd seen earlier. The one that hadn't been to a Gathering before.

The little tabby looked up at me. I met her yellow eyes. They looked at me in surprise. I watched her gulp. She continued to stare into my eyes. Her mouth was half open in stunned silence. Then finally she spoke.

"Sorry," she meowed. Her voice was nice, I thought. "I thought you were someone else."

"Who?" I questioned, interested. Who did she mistake me for? My heart jumped as I waited for her to say more.

"I made it to the Gathering!" a voice interrupted us. It was filled with joy.

I turned and saw a dark brown tabby tom grinning at her. He looked so pleased with himself. Out of the corner of his eye he must have seen me because he looked over. He met my eyes and the smile left his face.

"Oh," he meowed, realizing that he'd interrupted us. "Um, hello. I'm Brownpaw from ShadowClan."

Huh, a ShadowClan cat. Why did they always have to chase me away? I realized it was getting late and the island was clearing. I had to leave.

"It's nice to meet you," I meowed. "I can see who this she-cat thought I was now."

Brownpaw almost did look like me. We both have dark pelts, but though I'd seen other dark tabbies none had resembled me so closely. He had a large body for his age and so did I.

I noticed the she-cat looking down. Embarrassment radiated off of her. I didn't want her to feel bad for any longer, so I decided to leave though I wanted to speak with her some more. To at least learn her name.

"I should be going," I told them glancing at the tree bridge. "I hope if we meet again, we can have more time to talk."

I looked straight at the she-cat as I said it. I thought I saw her eyes flicker up at me. I felt a smile start to grow on my face. Just something about her made me happy. I quickly turned away before I could make a fool of myself. As I left I heard the she-cat's sweet voice say good bye to me. My heart leaped. I didn't really understand why I felt that way, but I hoped to meet the tabby again. As I left them a black tom passed me. He was looking around wildly as if he'd lost something. He smelled of ThunderClan. I knew now where my she-cat lived. There had to be a way to get closer to her.

* * *

**Aww, he met Fallingpaw!**

**He has a crush on her, I hope you understand. But does she like him back? That is the ultimate question.  
**


	9. Chapter 8: Crossing Borders

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my awesome reviewers: _Icethroat21, Moonriver of Air Clan, Warriors-Skywing, _and _VioletteRose.

_They all get Mudpaw plushies! I noticed I hadn't given any out yet. So she's the one you get!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Crossing Borders**

"Who were your friends at the Gathering?" I asked Mudpaw the next morning.

She looked up from her fish, stared for a while, and then replied, "Nightpaw and Fallingpaw."

I thought for a moment. Nightpaw had to be the black tom if I was guessing correctly that the Clans usually named for pelt color or things in the area, like my mother had named her kits. Fallingpaw had to be my tabby. Fallingpaw. The name was sweet. I could tell she'd have a lovely warrior name.

I hadn't noticed I was drifting and had a vacant smile on my face until Mudpaw waved her tail in it.

"Are you all right?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

_Hmm?_ I blinked and suddenly I was back at the RiverClan camp.

"Fine," I coughed out, embarrassed.

"Do you have to see Mothwing?" Mudpaw asked.

I shook my head. No, I didn't need a medicine cat. She probably couldn't help me see Fallingpaw. I had to find a way to do that myself.

Then Duckpaw came out of the apprentice den. He was looking worried, but smelled excited.

"She didn't leave yet did she?" he demanded.

"Who?" Mudpaw asked.

"Leopardstar!" he exclaimed.

"Not that I saw," Mudpaw shrugged.

Duckpaw sighed in relief.

"Why?" I asked.

That seemed to be the usual thing I said, I realized. I could see how it got annoying.

"She promised last night she'd take me out to battle training," Duckpaw replied, his tail swishing anxiously.

I remembered that Duckpaw was Leopardstar's apprentice, but they didn't often go out. Leopardstar didn't leave camp that often. Mostly because of her age and that her joints ached if she went too far. That meant Duckpaw was continuously helping the elders, queens, and cleaning out dens. He might have been as old as Mudpaw, but he didn't know as much as she. If Duckpaw was going out with Leopardstar, he had to be exited because he was finally doing something.

Just then Leopardstar came out of her den. She blinked in the early sunlight. Duckpaw saw her and ran over. He bounced on his paws like a kit as he spoke with her. Leopardstar smiled down at him and nodded. They left the camp. I watch with amusement but as soon as they were gone, Mudpaw sighed.

"Now we have to take care of the elders," she complained.

I didn't think that was so bad. Though Blackclaw didn't like me, Mistyfoot was nice. She usually answered my questions.

The rest of the camp slowly woke up. I saw a hunting patrol leave. Bigpaw and Flowerpaw were with them. Mudpaw got up.

"Let's go," she meowed.

I followed her back to the fresh-kill pile. We picked up some prey and took it to the elders.

"About time," Blackclaw growled. It looked like he'd been awake for a while.

Mistyfoot blinked open her eyes as the smell of prey reached her.

"It's not fresh, is it?" Blackclaw grumped "No, Blackclaw," Mudpaw meowed, her eyes lowered.

"We never get fresh," he growled.

Mudpaw looked annoyed but didn't answer. I gave Mistyfoot what I had. She smiled in appreciation. Mudpaw starting raking up the old moss. I came to help. When we left the elder's den, Beechfur came to us.

"Good job," Beechfur praised.

Mudpaw smiled, unable to talk because of the moss in her mouth.

"Take care of the queens too," he told her.

Mudpaw nodded.

After giving the elders fresh moss, we left camp again.

"We should get the queens fresh food," Mudpaw meowed.

She sounded a bit grumpy as if Blackclaw had affected her. She probably didn't want the queens complaining about cold food. I also noticed all of the left over prey was gone. The hunting patrol had to come back soon.

We caught fish in a nearby stream. I knew how to keep my shadow off of the water and strike just above where I thought my prey was. I struck fast with my claws open. A large fish flopped onto shore. I pounced and bit it under the gills. Soon it stopped moving, but it left my mouth a bit slimy and pungent smelling. That was one thing I didn't like fish. Other than that they were good. My fur had even stopped retaining much water when I swam.

Mudpaw had her fish too. We took them back to camp and to the queens. I entered the dark and cozy den for the first time. The nursery was filled with feathers, moss, and fluff from the cattails-- an odd plant that grew in the water but I didn't think looked anything like a cat tail. Two queens were inside. I saw three kits still sleeping.

"Duckpaw must be out," Mosspelt meowed. She was a tortosieshell she-cat with blue eyes. She had one gray-blue kit next to her.

"Yes," Mudpaw nodded as she put the fish down. "You have me and Deepforest."

"I'm sure you'll take good care of us," Cooperpool purred.

As I put my fish in front of Mosspelt, I watched the kits twitch awake, their little noses sniffing. A little dark tabby she-kit opened her eyes. I saw one was blue and the other amber colored. I blinked in surprise.

"This is Tigerkit," Copperpool meowed, mudging her daughter up.

"Why did you name her that?" I asked.

"Because her pelt reminds me of a tiger."

"Oh."

I'd heard of the great cat Clans of the ancient past from Mudpaw and Pinefur. I thought those stories were very entertaining.

"What are the others called?" I asked.

"My other is Spottedkit, and Mosspelt's kit is Skykit," Cooperpool meowed.

It was soon after that I learned the Clan mothers named their kits at birth. That interested me. Hawthorn had named us after we'd lived for a moon or so. That left two other kits without names when they'd died. One had been born dead, the other eaten by the fox that took Rabbit's tail. That was when he got his name. Sky and mine were next, named for our eyes. I had assumed Clan cats waited to see who would live before the kits were named.

A bit later after a short conversation, Mudpaw and I left the nursery. We cleaned the warriors' bedding and Beechfur came to us as we finished replacing it.

"You two did a good job. Pinefur and I decided you could have the day off. You can do whatever you want."

Mudpaw looked satisfied. Beechfur had praised her and that was what any apprentice wanted from their mentor. However, I also knew that Beechfur was her and her brother's father. Leopardstar had allowed him to train one of his kits. Why he'd chosen his only daughter was still a mystery to me.

Beechfur was already gone when Mudpaw turned to me.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to hunt alone," I told her.

She looked surprised. I supposed this was the first time I actually didn't want to stay with her.

"Okay," she meowed slowly.

I nodded and walked away.

She looked after me, perplexed. Perhaps I was being unusual, but I had something to do. I was going to figure out how to get to ThunderClan.

********

I thought WindClan was too open. A cat would see me coming. So I choose not to go that way. My only other option was ShadowClan. I was wary of trespassing there and being caught by them. I could remember their dangerous eyes, but I knew trees, not grass land. I could hide under the bushes and behind trees. However when I got to ShadowClan territory, I noticed the lack of undergrowth.

At that moment, I was on the other side of the twoleg-greenleaf-place. I was just inside ShadowClan territory and now I could see my dilemma. It would probably be smart to turn around and give up. Fallingpaw hadn't really spoken to me. Why was I so sure she liked me? I don't know. However I felt that if she didn't like me now, she would later. I'd talk to her, get to know her, and then she'd decide. I had to get to the ThunderClan territory to make that happen.

I started walking just inside the pine forest. I knew the lake border was safe ground, but I didn't want to be seen. I wasn't on a mission to see a leader. I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, and that meant I had to sneak like a mouse at night. I cautiously made my way around trees, hiding and stilling at any sharp noise, sniffing for other cats. Fortunately, I didn't see any at all on my journey. I was soon crossing the ThunderClan border without trouble.

I sighed in relief. Now I had to find Fallingpaw. I hesitated to go deep in the territory to even look for the camp. The border was one thing, inside was another. I didn't know other Clan territories and what to watch out for or where to go. However I knew forests and I'd learned silent walking from RiverClan. I could probably survive and get to the ThunderClan camp unnoticed.

I was going to go farther when I heard cats approaching. They were cats who knew it was their territory and had no reason to hide. I froze as their pawsteps came closer. Then I fled back into ShadowClan and under a bush. The sun high patrol had come a little late. I saw a cream colored tom with a stumpy tail, a light tabby she-cat that reminded me of Fallingpaw, and a white she-cat that had Nightpaw following her.

"Do you smell something?" the white she-cat asked, stopping.

The other cats did as well and started searching for the scent.

"I smell badger, but it's old," Nightpaw answered.

"Not that," the she-cat told him. "It smells like RiverClan."

I didn't move. I knew I wasn't on their land anymore but that might not stop them punishing me for trespassing originally.

The other cats search for the scent. Luckily the wind was blowing to me and I hadn't been long in the area. My scent was fading.

"We'll tell Firestar," the cream tom meowed. "Perhaps they were only passing by the lake. RiverClan has no reason to trespass here."

The other cats murmured agreements. They scent marked their borders and left. I stayed where I was for a few more moments, wanting to make sure they weren't trying to trick me out. Then I left the bush.

"That could have been better," a voice suddenly meowed. "They could have seen you. Because now it's about to get a whole lot worse."

A dark streak surged for me.

* * *

**Oh, no, who's attacking?! Will Deepforest survive?**

**The next chapter will be next week. Or earlier. I'm not sure. It will depend if I'm busy or not.  
**


	10. Chapter 9: Strange Path

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Well, I managed to get this one down. So you get it early. Until next week my fans!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Strange Path**

It was a cat who'd been hiding from me. I hadn't smelled her because my scent had been blowing toward her. Now I was being attacked because I hadn't been cautious and watching my back. I had been too concerned about the cats in front of me.

I flipped over as the streak neared me. I was on my back and vulnerable, but I hadn't made a mistake. As the cat landed on my exposed belly, my back paws pushed up, flinging the cat over me. She landed nearby. I got up before she could recover. I was on my feet the next time the dark cat charged. I could smell she was a ShadowClan cat and I wasn't surprised. I was on their territory after all.

The cat came for me, her claws reaching for my face. I backed up to get away. My hind end hit a tree and I jumped forward in surprise. The she-cat wasn't expecting that and her head bumped into mind with a loud crack. Instant pain fogged my head. I wanted to roll on the ground, but I didn't want her tearing out my throat or belly. I rapidly blinked away the tears and struck out with my own claws to hit her though I couldn't see. My paws hit air. She wasn't there.

When my eyes cleared, I saw her on the ground, her paws over her head. I knew now I could escape but I hesitated. I was actually worried about her!

"Are you okay?" I asked, cautiously learning forward.

She moaned.

"Finish it," she got out.

"What?" I blinked.

"Come on," she meowed, her eyes still squinted closed. "Stop the pain!"

I could sympathize, but I wasn't going to kill her. Or did she just want me to knock her out? But that too would have been awkward with her just lying there. I didn't want to attack her with out reason.

Instead, I sat down and looked over my opponent. She was a dark gray she-cat. I could barely make out a dark ginger underbelly. Her name suddenly jumped into my head.

"Eveningbreeze."

Her ears twitched and one eye peeked open.

"Who are you?" she demanded through her pain.

"Deepforest," I meowed. Then I grimaced, not because talking hurt, which it did, but because I probably shouldn't have said anything at all. Now that she knew my name, she could tell her leader and Kinkstar would tell Leopardstar that I had crossed the border.

"What are you doing here, rogue?" she demanded as she slowly sat up, a pain-filled snarl on her face. She must have recognized me to know that I was a rogue. "Did you leave RiverClan? Were they that incompatible with you?"

I would have shaken my head, but that would hurt so I did nothing. I actually got along in my Clan and I was learning many things that I could use. I was sure by the time I needed to get back to my siblings, I'd want to stay in RiverClan.

"Huh," she laughed sharply when I didn't reply. "I knew it. Rogues and Clans don't mix. Too strict I'm sure for you. Too big of a Clan to give you a stable spot and a place to be needed. At least ShadowClan is small. It's easy to know where you stand in the Clan."

I would just have to believe her.

"Why are you here?" she demanded as if remembering why her head hurt.

"I was . . . leaving RiverClan. Yes," I nodded. That was a good excuse. Kinkstar couldn't hurt me if I wasn't apart of the Clan she was targeting. Eveningbreeze wasn't likely to tell her leader about me if she thought I was leaving RiverClan.

"I was looking for another place," I continued in case she asked. "RiverClan and I just don't get along. Cats seem to dislike me. I was wondering if ThunderClan would accept me."

"They accept anyone," Eveningbreeze snorted. "But you're not just anyone are you?" she asked in a sly voice as she eyed me.

It was like a light had gone on in her head. She looked at me as if I was a plump piece of prey. I admit I was a bit flattered. She didn't think I was nothing!

"No, I'm not," I agreed. "But I also don't think just any Clan would accept me. WindClan is unfriendly and ShadowClan is suspicious of everyone. What is left but ThunderClan? I didn't know if I'd fit in there any better," I said.

Then I remembered I wasn't really leaving. What was I talking about?

"I suppose," she nodded. Then winced. Her head must have still been bothering her. Mine was, but I wasn't going to show weakness in front of her. For all I knew she was just lulling me before she attacked again.

"But if you could join ShadowClan, would you?" she asked.

I blinked. She really wanted to know!

"Well," I hedged. "Sure. It is a small Clan and I like learning techniques I also miss the forest."

I knew I sounded wistful, but it was true. I missed the shadow of the trees. The reeds might be close and protective, but they weren't trees. Also, my feet were always damp near the streams. That had gotten old the first day I went to RiverClan.

"Hmm," she tilted her head. She was studying me. Finally with pursed lips she meowed, "Come by tomorrow. You can stay under the trees then. I won't tell anyone. Besides, you might make up your mind to stay after all. And perhaps I could persuade Kinkstar to your favor. We do need good cats like you after all."

"Thank you." I was stunned at her offering. Very stunned.

"If you miss the trees," she meowed, "come at sun high to the ShadowClan-RiverClan border. I'll be hunting here."

I nodded slowly.

"Now get back to your Clan," she growled, suddenly dangerous again, "I can't be seen with a RiverClan cat."

I quickly started walking. She followed me all the way back. I noticed how sometimes I thought she'd left only to see her at my side again a while later. It was strange and made me think she was disappearing into shadows. I wanted to ask her about it, but I doubted she'd answer. ShadowClan was secretive. Why would she tell a RiverClan cat her Clan secrets? So I stayed silent.

We came to the border. She sat down. I looked at her and started to sit as well but she hissed at me.

"Go already!"

I bolted upright and bounded over the bare place that was fortunately free of twolegs. I was soon inside RiverClan territory. When I looked back, Eveningbreeze wasn't there. I sighed in relieved that I had made it back home safely. Then I noticed what time it was. It was very late and the sun was low in the sky. Mudpaw was probably wondering where I was. I winced as I knew I had to get a lot of prey to make up for not hunting all day. But first, I had to get the piney scent of ShadowClan off of me. I licked my fur and then I rubbed myself in the RiverClan border scent markers. Soon I was a part of my Clan again.

For some reason that suddenly reminded me I hadn't seen Fallingpaw at all like I'd planned. Well, there were other days. Especially if Eveningbreeze kept letting me cross her borders. I felt a spring to my step as I went hunting.

**_-Line-_**

I hadn't realized how much I missed the forest until I found myself looking forward to being in ShadowClan again. I wanted the trees. After a border patrol with Pinefur and two other cats, I slipped over the border. The moment I was under the trees instead of getting tense and worrying that ShadowClan would find me, I was relaxed. I breathed in deep, letting the loamy scents of the forest come to me and the sound of the birds fill my ears. I wandered around a while, just walking to enjoy myself. I certainly wasn't going to hunt and I wasn't going to sit down and do nothing. I didn't know how long staying in the territory would last. I had to make the most of it.

"What is it like in RiverClan?" Eveningbreeze asked.

I was startled to see her nearby under a particularly dark shadowed bush. She was sitting calmly. I hadn't even smelled her. Had she been following me?

"Um." I didn't know what to say. I liked it because RiverClan was the only Clan I knew, but I still had to act like I was thinking about leaving. I knew the moment I confessed I wasn't, she'd be at me with her claws. I'd never be in the forest again. That would mean getting to Fallingpaw would be harder.

"It's okay," I meowed with a dismissal swish of my tail. "Very wet, but enough food. Eveningbreeze nodded. I wondered if she'd say anymore. Instead she was silent. She had on one of her odd looks again. I still wasn't sure what she wanted, but it had to be bad.

I didn't go back for three days. Instead I stayed with Mudpaw, who wondered if I was all right. I was constantly missing and that was odd behavior to her. So far she hadn't mentioned it to any other cat, but I knew at some point she would. I knew no cat could find out what I was doing. I suppose I had been acting oddly and crossing borders wasn't warrior behavior, but it had more interest in it that just hunting and fighting all day. I hadn't noticed how bored living in RiverClan really was. The days were too structured. I didn't really have any choice of my own. I could only hunt, patrol the borders, or sleep. There was no freedom of my old life like I had when I lived with my siblings. I couldn't sleep in with out being considered lazy and I had to make sure everyone had food and not just myself. Some one in the Clan had to know where I was going. Like if I was on a hunting patrol or border patrol or hunting on my own. one never knew when a cat had to come back to camp for any reason.

I knew I probably shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts. Leopardstar had given be a place against the will of her warriors and that was very generous of her. To bury these thoughts I made up to my Clan by hunting. The short leaf-fall was hard on my Clan and many prey started to hibernate. It was a lot colder near the water than anywhere else. Some ice started to form over the slower moving water and still puddles. That made fishing just a bit harder and falling into the water more dangerous. I didn't catch a lot of prey because of these problems. I also found myself thinking of the forest and the ThunderClan tabby. For some reason they were one and the same for me. Stay in the forest and I'd get Fallingpaw.

When I finally bent back to ShadowClan territory, Eveningbreeze was waiting for me.

"You weren't here," she accused.

I was startled to see she really missed me. It was as if she was relying on me to meet her here.

"I had to keep my Clan from guessing where I've been going," I told her.

She nodded in agreement, but she still looked a bit angry.

"I promise I'll come every day," I continued.

Her eyes lit up and I saw a smile come over her. She really looked sweet when she smiled.

I did as I promised. I came every day after and every day she was there waiting for me. I didn't know how she could hunt in the same place all the time. Her leader must have allowed her. It probably had something to do with being a small Clan.

Every day, a bit after sun high, to make sure I missed the ShadowClan border patrol, I met with her. It was probably foolish of me to continue doing this, but after a while I stopped thinking about that. Eveningbreeze was always with me. That meant I couldn't go to ThunderClan and I admit I forgot for a while about doing it at all. Eveningbreeze seemed to distract me from my real goal.

It started with her ranting. It started slowly, a few words at a time, but soon she was talking about her Clan. She told me how Kinkstar had chosen her mate, Snaketail, to be the Clan deputy and how she shouldn't have done that. I thought it was odd she was telling me this, but after two days I realized she only wanted someone to talk to. Members of her own Clan wouldn't want to hear things against their leader.

Mostly I didn't think her rants were all that important, but they soon led up to more things. I didn't really need to listen to her. She'd pace and talk and talk. I could stare off into the distance or walk and she'd still go on. One day, about a quarter moon after the Gathering, she said something that caught my attention.

"If I was leader, my Clan would be stronger," she growled, glaring at some tree roots. "Kinkstar lets too many things get by her. She doesn't punish. She's making our Clan weak. If she could go away, everything would be better." I knew I was looking at her doubtfully, but she didn't notice.

"There has to be a way to get rid of them."

She was silent and I quickly looked away. I didn't know that she really wanted to kill her leaders. It seemed like she only was saying it. I certainly wouldn't want to hurt Leopardstar. But she also wasn't ruining my Clan. We were well fed and were one of the strongest Clans by the lake, getting rid of Leopardstar would weaken us. No one knew anything about ShadowClan except that they were small. They hid their secrets well. For all I knew maybe Kinkstar was bringing ShadowClan down. With Eveningbreeze confessing her Clan's weaknesses, I was intrigued by the idea that Kinkstar really was a problem.

"If we had better cats," Eveningbreeze meowed suddenly.

I looked up and saw her staring at me.

"If we had better cats, we'd be strong. Cats just like you. You're strong, intelligent, and know how to obey orders. ShadowClan needs cats like you. Perhaps even a leader like you."

Her tail twitched thoughtfully. I had a feeling this was all for show, but when she spoke to me like that, I felt my chest swell with pride. She thought I was a good cat. A good Clan cat! One that could make a good leader!

I'm sure my eyes were glowing with pleasure. Hawthorn had told me my eyes were very expressive. Eveningbreeze looked into them and seemed extremely pleased.

"What do you say?" she asked. "Do you want to be a leader?"

"Yes," I nodded, imagining myself leading cats. Then my heart sank. "No," I sighed. "How would that work?"

"It will take time," she meowed. "But we can both be leaders. We could both run a Clan. A strong Clan."

She looked determined.

"First, you're going to have to leave RiverClan."

I blinked in surprise. Leave RiverClan? Wait, what had I just agreed to?

"You've been putting it off for a long time now," she growled. "You can't say you re giving up finding a new Clan. Not after all I've told you."

She looked extremely dangerous. Her body was starting to lower. I knew if I refused, she would fight me. I would probably win. I was bigger than her, but I would be torn up in the process. RiverClan would wonder what was going on if I came back wounded. Then I'd have to explain everything to them about meeting Eveningbreeze and going over the border, not providing for my Clan like I should have. They would look at me with disappointment that I had disobeyed the warrior code. Leopardstar would probably send me away from the Clan. Either way, I would have to leave behind RiverClan. For some reason that didn't bother me. I didn't have any one close to me in the Clan. I could leave them without regrets. They would be fine without me, just like they had been before I arrived.

"I'll stay," I told her. My apprehension left and my belly unknotted.

Eveningbreeze actually looked surprised. Her eyes flickered over my face, searching. She suddenly smiled again. She knew I was telling the truth. She knew I was giving up RiverClan once and for all.

"Then let's go now," she meowed. She tilted her head. She wanted me to follow her. For the first time since I started crossing borders, I was going deep into ShadowClan.

I didn't even look back. RiverClan was over. This strange path Eveningbreeze walked was before me. I chose to follow her.

* * *

**Bad decision Deepforest. Bad tom!**

**Well I hope that wasn't too choppy. It's only a week after the Gathering. Just in time for Fallingpaw in ****FIS**** to meet with Brownpaw for the first night visit!**

**Oh, and if you notice Eveningbreeze's mood swings. That's usual for her.**


	11. Chapter 10: Quest for a Den

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to those reviewers: _oO-Rainpath-Oo, VioletteRose, Icethroat21, _and _Nightmist of Shadowwind Tribe.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Quest for a Den**

We didn't go far before she told me I needed to find a den. She couldn't just bring me into the ShadowClan camp. I told her I would find a place to stay. She nodded and told me to do it. She had to hunt.

I left her and started searching for a place to stay. There wasn't much undergrowth in the ShadowClan territory. I looked up as I thought. The tree limb's crossed each other only letting down a small bit of sunlight. I wasn't sure I'd done the right thing. I knew that life in RiverClan didn't appeal to me anymore, but why didn't I just go home instead of staying with Eveningbreeze? I wasn't sure, but I really wanted to stay and see what she did. What was she planning?

Because I wasn't likely to sleep in a tree, I went to find somewhere to spend the night. I quickly decide not to stay deep in the territory. ShadowClan would probably find me there. They knew their territory better than I did. I also wanted to escape easily if I had to. I was thinking about going to the border close to the mountain. I quickly made my way there.

The search took me until evening. Finally I found a very likely place to sleep, but it wasn't very close to the border. There was the scent of many prey. The den I found was a bush of thorns. It would be well protected. So I quickly slipped under to investigate. The sharp thorns caught in my pelt, drawing blood. I flinched away. Finally I got to the middle of the bush. Because it was getting late I didn't want to go back out and fight all the thorns. I quickly curled up and fell asleep.

Eveningbreeze didn't know where I was that first day. She wandered all over her Clan's territory, searching for me. Finally she found me. I'd just finished killing a squirrel and was eating it.

"You're going to have to catch your food elsewhere," she growled at me.

I looked up, surprised.

"My Clan will noticed the kills," she explained. "Then they'll look for you. If you go to another territory, then my Clan won't know anything about you."

I quickly nodded. That made sense. I didn't want to be noticed by ShadowClan.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked.

"Did you find a den?" she asked.

I nodded. I was sure I'd show her later just to make sure she knew where to go. I know that my bush was kind of strange, but it was the only thing!

"Good," she purred. "First we need to think about what we want," she answered my question.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Her nose twitched. She looked at me suspiciously before she answered, "To be the leader of ShadowClan."

I thought so.

"How are we going to do that?"

"Get rid of Kinkstar," she answered. "I already know I want to be the one to kill her."

"And what will I be doing?" I asked. What did she need me for if she had it all planned out?

"Oh, you'll be leader with me," she answered as if reassuring me. "You will help distract my Clan while I kill Kinkstar."

I could believe I would be the distraction. I knew I looked like Brownpaw. They would probably keep confusing the two of us. Now I wondered how I was supposed to distract them. Eveningbreeze didn't want me hunting in her territory. If she wanted a distraction, her Clan looking for a rogue was one.

I told her so.

"Then they'll be suspicious," she meowed. "We have to make them relax and unaware. Then you distract them and then I kill her."

"What about Snaketail?" I asked. He was the deputy. I didn't understand how Eveningbreeze thought she could just take over her Clan. I really still didn't understand why she was willing to kill her leader. I wasn't sure why I was going along with it.

Eveningbreeze frowned. It looked as if she hadn't considered Snaketail.

"He'll go first," she answered. "Then I'll become deputy and then I'll kill Kinkstar."

That made more sense. Her Clan would have to accept her as leader if she was deputy. That was how it always was according to Mudpaw. The deputy always became leader after the former leader died.

"I've got to go back now," Eveningbreeze meowed. "I'll come back to see you everyday. We can plan how we're going to get rid of the two then."

I nodded and watched her leave. For some reason my heart beat with excitement as I thought about what she said. I was actually doing something. I was a part of something big, and in the bargain I'd be a leader!

**_-Line-_**

It didn't take me long to realize I couldn't live in the thorn bush for much longer. Sure it provided protection against foxes and badgers, and other cats, but it also proved to keep me out most times. I'd always have scratches from going in and out which it did frequently. It was also clear to me that my scent covered my small territory. If a ShadowClan cat came by they would know that I was in their territory. I had to find a better place. A place that I was comfortable and that I could hide my scent.

I went searching three days after I'd accepted Eveningbreeze's offer. I stayed near the borders, not wanting to meet any ShadowClan cats. I'd learned from Eveningbreeze they usually stayed in the center of their territory unless they were on border patrols. They preferred not to meet any cats from another Clan. Of course that meant any Clan could steal from them, but ThunderClan didn't do that, and I knew RiverClan had enough food so they wouldn't bother crossing the border. ShadowClan was one of the safest Clans. None of other Clan was going to attack them because they felt pity for the small Clan. And size was a problem. They couldn't barely defend themselves against anything. All the Clans knew it, but they wouldn't never say that they did. I agreed with Eveningbreeze that ShadowClan need to get stronger. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in a pathetic Clan that everyone pitied. And I was going to help with strengthening them! I felt proud to be a part of something important. That my name would be among the leaders.

_Hmm, Deepstar._

Suddenly it came to me. I could really be a leader. I'd have nine lives and be able to speak with StarClan. I could see these dead warriors and learn about them. Perhaps I could ask them where Hawthorn was and if they would accept her into their Clan. Suddenly I had a goal for myself. I wasn't just following Eveningbreeze anymore. I would be a part of it.

I continued my den search, resolved in my heart. I knew exactly why I was helping Eveningbreeze now. I knew it had been a good idea to trust her. I walked nearby the ThunderClan border. I kept my shoulders hunched and I slunk along. There was still the possibility of meeting a ThunderClan warrior. I wasn't going to RiverClan because I knew my old Clan would catch a scent of me. There were only two places for me to make a nest. Near the ThunderClan border or on the mountain slope. I hoped for doing both.

I came to a strong smelling area. The scent of fox was everywhere, blocking almost everything else even the pine smell of the ShadowClan territory. I cautiously stepped forward, my ears pricked. Where was the fox? I looked around, wary. I didn't want it surprising me. Perhaps I should have retreated, but I didn't. I pressed forward, looking around at the fox's den. There was plenty of undergrowth in this part of the forest. Another bare greenleaf-twoleg-place was just visible through the trees. There weren't any twolegs of course because of the coming leafbare.

I was just thinking what a good place this would be for my own den when I heard a growl. My heart jumped. I quickly scanned the undergrowth. There was nothing there. Then I saw the eyes peering at me from the ground. I quickly turned and ran. I knew I could take on one fox by myself, but I didn't know how many were below the ground, and if they pulled me into their den, well, then I was crowfood as the Clans said.

I returned to my thorn bush late that day after searching the rest of the borders. unfortunately I'd found no better spot than the one near the fox den. I knew I had to have that area. So I slept that night, forming a plan.

* * *

**Hopefully now you can understand why Deepforest stayed with Eveningbreeze. If you still don't then say so and I'll try to explain.**


	12. Chapter 11: Fox Fight

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Fox Fight**

Eveningbreeze came the next morning. This time I spotted her a long way off and I waited outside my den instead of going off to hunt. When she saw me, she frowned.

"You weren't here," she growled.

By now I was used to her shifting moods and usual bad attitude. It was odd, but she reminded me of my grumpy brother and bad tempered sister combined.

Unbothered, I simply meowed, "I was looking for a better place to have a nest."

"What's wrong with this?" she demanded, looking at my bush.

"It's too near the ShadowClan camp," I meowed. "My scent is everywhere and I get too many scratches."

I showed her the one on my nose I'd gotten just that dawn. It had taken awhile to stop the bleeding and now there was a thin crust of dried blood on my nose. I was having trouble breathing. I knew I must have sounded funny as I talked.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked. Suddenly she wasn't as ill behaved. She looked interested as if a move was the best thing.

"Near the ThunderClan border," I meowed. "I need your help actually."

"Help?" She looked really intrigued now.

"It's a fox den," I explained. "And there's a fox in it."

"Why do you want it then?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Any cat will smell fox instead of me and it has plenty of undergrowth."

"And?"

"I need your help getting rid of the fox. Besides it is on ShadowClan land. We need to protect your Clan. We can't have dead or wounded warriors weakening it more."

I'd judged her well. The moment I brought that up, her eyes narrowed and her claws slid out and dug into the pine needle covered ground.

"Let's go," she growled. Her lip curled as she looked at me. She was ordering me to show her.

As I turned away, I smirked. I could definitely get used to her. No longer did she make me nervous. I might be a rogue and this her territory, but she'd invited me and now I knew what I wanted as well as what she wanted. I was no longer that nervous tom who'd entered RiverClan. I was Deepforest, a future leader, the cat that I was when I lived with my siblings. I was no longer lost. And this time Eveningbreeze wouldn't be ordering me around for long. I was learning how to handle her.

********

We quickly found the fox den. Eveningbreeze convinced me to act wounded. She said the smell of blood would draw out the fox. I personally wondered how the fox would even smell me over its own rank odor, but I limped in front of the den entrance. I was far enough away so I couldn't just be dragged in, but close enough so that the fox would see me and not suspect another cat was hiding in the undergrowth.

When I got directly in front, I stumbled and fell on my face. Of course, I'd meant to do that, but the fox didn't know the difference. It saw a wounded cat. An easy meal. A red flash burst from the ground. The fox came for me. I could smell its hot, musty breath and could see its large yellow teeth. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. It was faster than I'd thought.

Then a shrieking bundle of dark fur came to my rescue. Eveningbreeze was pushing the fox away with her body. The fox stumbled in surprise. I quickly got up and joined Eveningbreeze where she crouched in front of it, her teeth bared in anger. We constantly stayed between the fox and its den. I kept one ear on the hole in the ground, making sure there was only one fox. Confronted by the both of us, it looked like the fox might leave. It even turned away once after staring at us for awhile. But that was just a feint. The fox turned and charged at us. It was not giving up it's home so easily.

It came after Eveningbreeze first, probably because she was the smallest and seemed the easy target. It seemed to know I had only faked an injury. I must have been confused by the smell of blood though. It knew some cat had to be injured so it went after the one it thought was the weakest.

Eveningbreeze was ready for the fox. As it lunged for her, she crouched down and struck out with one front paw. Her claws connected, ripping through the fox's face. As the fox yelped and pulled away, I jumped onto its back and clawed with my back legs. I held onto its scruff with my jaws. It tried to shake me off and even rolled, pressing my body into the hard ground and into a few rocks. The breath knocked out of me, I let go. Eveningbreeze was there, snapping at the fox's tail and yanking. The fox whirled on her, leaving me to recover on the ground. I quickly got up, thought my spine ached where the rocks had jabbed me.

I heard a yowl. The fox had Eveningbreeze's paw in its mouth. I could tell it was biting hard and I knew If I didn't help, her paw would break. I rush forward, blood pounding in my ears. I repeatedly struck its face with both front paws. I was leaning over Eveningbreeze and I couldn't keep my balance for long. The fox had its eyes closed and let go of the dark she-cat. Eveningbreeze clutched her paw to her chest and quickly licked it.

By now I had gotten back on all fours, but I knew I couldn't let the fox take advantage of the stillness. A normal fox would have given up at this point, but I knew that fox wanted to stay near the den, that meant I had to make sure it couldn't win. I rushed forward smashing my head into its face. The fox yelped and shook its head as it backed away. My hand rang. Suddenly I couldn't see straight.

Eveningbreeze pushed passed me. She snapped at the fox and growled at it as loud as she could. Finally the fox was overcome by us and knew it couldn't win. It reluctantly turned away and walked through the undergrowth. It only looked back twice.

"Finally," Eveningbreeze snarled. She didn't look triumphant or pleased, she just looked annoyed. "Now let's see what that fox was guarding."

"Just its den," I meowed.

"No," she growled, turning to the hole in the ground. "It had to be kits."

"This late in leaf-fall?" I meowed, unbelieving.

"Worse things have happened," she answered as she limped over. "You go down first."

She stood by and waited.

I looked down into the darkness. It would be my new den for a very long time of course I had to go first and I was uninjured, but I was reluctant to meet more foxes in the dark. I swallowed, but went down, the smell of fox overwhelmed me.

* * *

**I'm co-authoring a story with **_Spottedstarshell_** and a few others. Check it out if you feel like it, I did the prologue. The title is Darkclaw's Greed.**


	13. Chapter 12: Capture and Siblings

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my reviewers:_ Oo-Rainpath-oO, Icethroat21, _and_ VioletteRose!!!_  
_

_Thanks to the reviewers of "When Gifts Fail": _Oo-Rainpath-oO _and _Moonriver: Singing Wind Tribe.

Oo-Rainpath-oO _gets a Sunstorm and a Morningsong plushie for that!_

_Summery: Deepforest is in ShadowClan and things move on. In this Chapter Deepforest won't be so lucky as he's always been._

* * *

**Chapter 12: Capture and Siblings  
**

I liked hunting on the mountain, out of the Clan territory, because it was close by. But after a time, I recalled why I had chosen in the first place to side with Eveningbreeze. My Fallingpaw.

I saw her hunting near the ShadowClan border one day and instantly I remembered her. I felt ashamed that I'd forgotten about visiting her or even talking to her. I would have gone out and spoken to her right then, but a ginger she-cat with a fluffy tail kept showing up ever so often. There was also a golden brown tabby tom with them. So I contented myself with laying under a bush and watching her. I watched her muscles ripple under her short tabby fur. I watched her run after prey, and I watched her smile in pride with every catch. I felt happy as I watched her. She was so perfect.

After that one day, I resolved to see her again. So I took to going to WindClan to catch my food. I didn't hunt in ThunderClan because I'd taken Eveningbreeze's comment to heart. I didn't want to attract attention and if I hunted in ThunderClan along the border, the ThunderClan cats would be watching for me. So to catch glimpse of my Fallingpaw, I walked through ThunderClan to WindClan. I didn't see her usually. I was trying to hide from other cats and stayed away from large groups, but I saw her on occasion. Eventually I even learned where the ThunderClan camp was. I stored that knowledge for later times, like if I dared going to the camp to see her.

My hunting in WindClan wasn't always successful. I had trouble chasing the swift rabbits and only caught them twice. I also found it a challenge catching the prey in the open space. They could often see me before I saw them, and the tall dry, grass would crackle, startling my potential catches. I really hated WindClan by the moon's end.

There was one time as I walked through ThunderClan that I was caught. It just so happened I was caught by three kits. I was walking carelessly, perhaps, a second quarter moon after joining Eveningbreeze. I was jumped on from above. A large shape landed flat on by back. My legs buckled and I hit the ground. In an instant two other cats came out of the undergrowth, pinning me. The cat got off of my back. I smelled two she-cats and a tom. It was the gray tom who'd jumped on me.

"I told you we'd catch him, Lilykit," the tom taunted creamy she-cat with a light brown chest.

Lilykit didn't answer.

When I heard the 'kit', I was impressed that the three of them had caught me. I'd thought they were apprentices. They were large enough to be six moons.

"Good job," I praised. "How did you do it?"

I wasn't worried. They were just kits.

"We scented you," the other she-cat meowed in a quiet voice. "Mistkit said we should catch you and punish you. He planned it."

"Quiet, Greenkit," Mistkit snapped. "The rogue is trying to distract you. Hold tighter."

Instantly the she-kit closed her mouth. Her claws dug in. So did Lilykit's. I winced in pain. Not until that moment did I get worried.

"Would you please let go?" I asked. I didn't plead.

"No," Mistkit snapped. "You're a rogue and you're trespassing."

My eyes widened. This kit meant business.

"You're not supposed to be out of the nursery," I told him in a last effort. "Your mother will worry."

While I spoke I assessed which she-kit had the weaker grip. Unfortunately both were strong.

"He's right," Lilykit meowed, worried.

"Quiet," Mistkit growled. He began to pace. "We can't tell anyone about this," he meowed, staring into the she-kits' eyes.

They quickly nodded.

I sighed, guessing they'd let me go now. However, I did think Mistkit was a bit naive. Their mother had to know they were gone by now.

"Right," Mistkit nodded. "Let's get on with this."

He flexed his claws and buried them into my back. I shrieked in pain. He had sharp claws!

He continued to claw me in various places for awhile. Then he stepped back. The she-kits released me.

"Don't come back to ThunderClan," he spat at me.

I quickly limped away. There was a lot of blood on me and I knew I was leaving a trail. I felt the kits eyes on me as I left back to ShadowClan. I felt hate toward them.  
_  
They'd no call to torture me!_ I fumed as I went back to my den. There had to be a way to avoid the notice of every cat. To see them but not let them see me or smell me.

Back at my den, Eveningbreeze was waiting. when she saw me, her eyes widened.

"What happened to you?" she asked, concerned, running over to sniff me and then lick my fur. I winced at her rough tongue.

"I was ambushed," I growled.

"Where?" she demanded.

"ThunderClan," I answered.

Eveningbreeze deflated. There was nothing she could do about those cats.

"Be careful next time," she meowed.

"Of course," I snapped. By now I was licking my own fur clean. I was grateful it had only been kits who'd attacked. A warrior would have done worse and the whole clan would know. I was sure the kits would keep their silence, or else the queens would never believe them. I would probably escape the notice of ThunderClan for now, but I had to be more careful.

"Teach me how to hide like you do," I demanded.

Eveningbreeze blinked. "What?"

"You just disappear when you walk. Tell me how."

She blinked again but this time it looked like she was considering. After a while she nodded.

"I will."

And that was how I started learning ShadowClan secrets.

_********_

"I hate her!" Eveningbreeze shrieked. Her tail was puffed out and her eyes wide.

"What?"

I stared at her. Never had I actually seen her this furious. Usually her anger was smoldering and patient, not in flame and raging.

"She's punishing me!" Eveningbreeze hissed, her eyes flashing as she stopped pacing and stared hard at me. I backed away.

"Punishing me!" Her lip curled.

"Who?" I hesitantly asked. I got quiet and tried not to make her any more angry.

"Kinkstar," she spat out. "She says I'm not taking care of my Clan. That I spend too much time away without doing anything."

I thought to myself that that was exactly what Eveningbreeze was doing. She spent so much time with me that she didn't often hunt or do border patrols. It didn't surprise me that Kinkstar was doing something about it.

"So, how are you being punished?" I asked slowly.

"I have to talk two cats with me wherever I go," she growled.

I looked around. I didn't see whisker nor fur of any other cat but us. Eveningbreeze noticed my look and snorted. "I left them. I don't trust showing any cat this spot. Not even my brother and sister."

My ears picked up. Eveningbreeze answered my unsaid question.

"I took them with me. Then I told them to wait far away. I can't stay long. I don't know what they'll do without me." she spoke contemptuously. There seemed to be some dislike between them. I didn't even know her siblings but I felt dislike for them too.

"I have to go," she meowed sulkily. "I'll come back when I can."

I nodded my head as she left. Then I sat and thought. I'd never met anyone in Eveningbreeze's Clan. I didn't even know who was on her side, but if she trusted her siblings not to tell Kinkstar she'd ditched them, that had to mean something. She trusted them somewhat.

Only later did I learn more about Eveningbreeze's siblings. It had almost been a whole moons since I met Eveningbreeze. She suggested that it was time I met her siblings. I was for it.

"We can't take them here," Eveningbreeze explained. "Even they're getting suspicious of where I'm going. Stoneheart might tell Kinkstar," she growled. "It has to be somewhere else."

I agreed.

"Do you have a preference?" I asked. I didn't know the Clan territory that much. I didn't explore because I was scared of running into a ShadowClan cat. I didn't want to repeat what happened with those kits and it was better if ShadowClan didn't realize they had a rogue on their land.

"The twolegplace with those two kittypets," Eveningbreeze nodded.

I felt the fur on my back raise. Twolegs. I shuddered. I could remember my first glimpse of one at that stone place.

"Well?" Eveningbreeze demanded, her paw tapping.

I quickly nodded. We could meet there I knew the scents of the kittypets would interfere with my own and that twoleg nest was far from my den. It was a safe place.

"Good," Eveningbreeze meowed. "Meet us there after sunhigh."

I waited behind the stone wall. I knew the kittypets wouldn't come out. Their petrified reaction to the Clan cats assured that. Now I was paying attention to the sounds of the forest I was waiting for the sound of pawsteps. I heard the sunhigh patrol earlier and I knew it had to be safe to come out, but I was still wary. My body still hurt from those horrible kits.

Then I heard a quick patter. Some cat was running. My heart raced with them.

"Deepforest!" I heard a harsh whisper.

I hopped up onto the wall. It was Eveningbreeze. She saw me and her ears went up and her eyes shone with joy.

"They're coming, so get ready."

"Did you tell them what they're coming for?" I asked, bounding down to her.

She shook her head. "I just told them it was important and that I was going to tell them why I've been missing. Let me do the talking."

I nodded.

That was when two cats appeared. The she-cat had an arrogant bound to her step. This was her territory and she was unafraid. There was also a look on her face that reminded me of Eveningbreeze on her bad days. The tom had a furtive look in his eyes. This might have been his territory, but he wasn't so sure in it. His eyes constantly roved to his sister and an anxious look was in his eye. Not until then did I realize he was searching for a place to hide from her. I felt a wave of interest go through me. Why was he scared of his sister?

Then they arrived. The light tabby she-cat looked me over, scorn and suspicion in her eyes. The tom looked at me with suspicion as well but mostly his eyes ere on Eveningbreeze. There was a small spark of anger deep in his eyes as he looked at his dark sister. I hid the knowledge that I knew he disliked his sister. i knew Eveningbreeze disliked him as much.

"Who is this?" the light tabby asked. There was something about her voice that made me want to crying, but not in fear, just in annoyance "This is Deepforest," Eveningbreeze meowed, brightly. "Deepforest, this is Fernstripe and Stoneheart."

I remembered them from the one Gathering I went to.

"This is who you've been meeting?" Fernstripe asked, surprised. Eveningbreeze nodded. "He's the one."

"Why?" Fernstripe looked perplexed.

"Well," Eveningbreeze started, "He wants to join ShadowClan."

"Join ShadowClan?" Fernstripe looked shocked.

Eveningbreeze turned to me. Instantly I realized she wanted me to continue and in that moment I also realized no one but Eveningbreeze and I knew her plan to take over ShadowClan. We were on our own for now. I had to encourage her to get others to join us or it would be one short take over.

I nodded my head. "I came from RiverClan. I found out I didn't like all that water. And the cats. . .," my tail twitched, "They were bothersome. I wanted to join ShadowClan because I think I might like it in your Clan more."

"I've been teaching him our ways," Eveningbreeze explained. "Shadow walking, hunting, fighting,

"You what?!" Fernstripe's eyes widened. She looked insulted at the idea.

Eveningbreeze's nose twitched and her eyes hardened. She was now a different cat.

"I taught him how to be a ShadowClan cat! What else could I do? He needs to help our Clan and if he knows what to do already he can help us. Are you questioning my judgment?"

Fernstripe immediately seemed to shrink. She hunched down as if she didn't want Eveningbreeze noticing her. Stoneheart copied her. Until that moment I'd forgotten him. He was really quiet.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a good cat and you taught him well. Kinkstar will appreciate him."

Good," Eveningbreeze nodded. "Now go."

Her shoulder twitched. Her siblings took off.

"They seem. . . nice," I meowed, not wanting to offend her.

Eveningbreeze snorted. "Fernstripe has no original thought in her head. She listens and agrees with me always. She'll follow me anywhere. Stoneheart is a coward. He'll do whatever I say, but you have to watch out for him. He does some unexpected things at times." Eveningbreeze seemed scornful, not proud of them. If my siblings obeyed me, I would have been glad.

"Will I see them again?"

"Yes," she nodded. She stared at where there siblings had gone. "Soon we'll tell them our plans. We will need help."

"Any other cats?" I asked hopefully.

Eveningbreeze nodded. "I have some prospects. First I need to have my sibling's trust. Once they're for the plan,other cats will follow."

"Good."

I couldn't wait until cats were calling me by my new name.

* * *

**If you want to go to my profile and vote which of my stories is your favorite. Thanks to those that already have.**


	14. Chapter 13: Eveningbreeze

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_I'm going to do a bit from Eveningbreeze's view later on just to see how it works. Besides you're probably bored with Deepforest's._

* * *

**Chapter 13: Eveningbreeze**

I met Fernstripe and Stoneheart a few times after that, only at the twolegplace and only with Eveningbreeze there. That was when I really saw her for a long time. She was sticking to her punishment and was trying to prove to Kinkstar that one wasn't necessary anymore.

"WindClan is noticing the missing prey," Eveningbreeze meowed.

My ears went back. That was bad.

It was the day after the Gathering and Eveningbreeze had come to me alone this once. She had news from the Gathering just for me she'd said. Now I knew this news was anything but good.

"They're blaming ThunderClan." She sounded almost gleeful.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. I hadn't meant to cause trouble in the other Clans.

"Don't be," she suddenly snapped, her eyes flashing. "This is a good thing. They'll be so distracted with each other they won't notice what's happening to ShadowClan. Keep hunting there."

I nodded. I'd do that if it helped us. I knew I could do it. I'd grown sneakier crossing the strange territory. No other cat had spied me with my shadow walking. I had no more wounds.

"RiverClan announced that you were gone," Eveningbreeze continued. "Most of the Clans seemed relived. Everyone believes you've left the lake."

I wanted to ask how RiverClan had been. Were they glad when I left. I really hadn't thought of them much, but now I wondered what they thought of me. Did they think I didn't like them anymore or did they not care? Had Mudpaw been glad that I wasn't pestering her with questions anymore?

"I told them," Eveningbreeze suddenly meowed.

I looked over at her wondering who and what she was talking about.

"My siblings know what we're doing. They're on our side." She grinned.

"Good," I meowed. I felt relieved. Two cats down. A whole Clan to go.

**_-Line to E-_**

Eveningbreeze stared after the brown tabby tom. He was so distant. Why did he have to ignore her? Lately he didn't spend any time with her at all. He didn't say anything in passing. He wasn't the same cat he used to be when they shared the apprentice den. Brownpaw wasn't paying any attention to her.

Eveningbreeze didn't understand why. They were supposed to be mates when he became a warrior. It wasn't like he had any choice. Unless he wanted Fernstripe, which Eveningbreeze knew wasn't possible. No tom would want that she-cat. Eveningbreeze had first pick anyway. Fernstripe would never get Brownpaw because Eveningbreeze had chosen him first. Fernstripe had to stick with Brownpaw's brother, Acornpaw. That was her only choice. Unless she wanted Rowanclaw (too old) or Redsky (but he was mates with Dawncloud) all the other toms were related a bit too close. No, Eveningbreeze's and Brownpaw's lives were mostly planned out. They'd be mates and give the Clan kits.

But that still didn't explain Brownpaw's reactions. The tom seemed to be thinking of other things besides Eveningbreeze. She was hesitant to think another she-cat. What else would explain it though? He would stare off into the distance and get a happy look on his face. For a long time before the Gathering, he'd been anxious and looked incredibly worried, but the night after he was happy again. Eveningbreeze had a feeling he was meeting someone. For a half moon he'd been a bit grumpy, too, and that had been the half moon Eveningbreeze was being punished by Kinkstar.

She'd at first thought he was being sympathetic, but then she was suspicious. She'd told Stoneheart to go hunting with him a lot to investigate what was going on. Of course that meant Eveningbreeze couldn't often leave the camp. She had to have two cats with her at all times and she usually had her siblings with her. But with Stoneheart following Brownpaw, that wasn't really possible. Eveningbreeze didn't want to take any other cat with her. Especially when she wanted to see Deepforest.

Last night, on one of his missions, Stoneheart told Eveningbreeze that Brownpaw had gotten away from him. That there was a smell of another cat on him. Eveningbreeze had been suspicious. So just this morning she tried to talk to him, but he brushed passed her, ignoring her.

Eveningbreeze was shocked. She stared after him for a while, but then Kinkstar came out of her den and spotted Eveningbreeze. The leader waved her tail and Eveningbreeze walked over.

"You've been good this half moon," Kinkstar meowed. "Your punishment is over. Make sure you take care of your Clan. Don't disappear like you've been doing and I won't have to do this again."

Eveningbreeze nodded in assent, though inside she imagined clawing the smug face off of Kinkstar. The leader had no reason to punish her. Just because she was missing. Making two cats stay with Eveningbreeze had weakened the Clan more! And to top it off, Brownpaw was ignoring her. Life was not going well.

_Once, I'm leader, Brownpaw will have to pay attention to me. He won't be able to refuse me then!_

Eveningbreeze turned away from Kinkstar and went to the fresh-kill pile. While she went, she thought about her plans. She had to get more cats. Her siblings knew about everything. Fernstripe was excited because she thought she'd be the deputy. Eveningbreeze knew Fernstripe would never be that. That was going to be Deepforest's spot. Deepforest was her secret weapon. He was going to be the distraction for her Clan. He would be the one to form her way to leadership. Eveningbreeze was still working it out, but she had an idea so far. Snaketail would have to go. Then Eveningbreeze would be the new deputy. Eveningbreeze ate her frog and thought more about her plans. She realized she had to get more cats on her side. She had a feeling there were a few who'd agree with her about her Clan being weak. The rest she could convince of it. First she had to find those others.

She scanned her Clan. She looked over her siblings that she knew would always be on her side. There was Redsky. The mottled brown tom hadn't been in a good mood since Eveningbreeze had known him. There was always something bothering him. Even the birth of his daughter Dapplekit hadn't cheered him up. He seemed always worried. If Eveningbreeze could find what bothered him, then she could convince him that she could help. If she was leader. There was also Rowanclaw. He had been sad since his mate Tawnypelt died. That was before Eveningbreeze was born. She could use his feelings against him. She could tell him it was the greencough that killed his mate that made their Clan weak. She could also convince her mother Snowbird to follow her and perhaps her father. They'd do anything for their kits. Of course their kits had grown up, but they still believed anything Eveningbreeze wanted them too. Another cat Eveningbreeze was sure she could get on her side was Dawncloud. The queen wanted her mate to love her, but Redsky didn't feel that way for her. If Dawncloud believed doing what Redsky wanted, namely helping Eveningbreeze, then Dawncloud would do it to get Redsky's love.

Eveningbreeze went over the cats in her Clan. That meant over half would be hers. They would follow her. But first she had to help them see it her way.

Eveningbreeze finished her frog and quickly left the camp. She was going to see Deepforest.

On the way there, she heard a cat coming after her. It wasn't being very silent. Eveningbreeze didn't pause as she walked. She couldn't let the other cat know she knew it was there. Instead, she walked steadily on. When she came to some undergrowth, she quickly froze. With her knowledge of ShadowClan techniques. She disappeared into the shadows. Her dark fur easily blending in. Her ginger underbelly looked oddly like a sunbeam and that helped disguise her. The cat did not see her when he came to the bushes and ferns. Eveningbreeze saw him. It was her brother.

She suppressed a sigh. What did he want this time? Then she realized he hadn't tried to catch up. He'd been following her. So he wanted to know where Deepforest lived, did he? Eveningbreeze's lip curled. He was up to something. If Stoneheart wanted to know where Deepforest lived, he would.

She burst out of the bushes. She easily pinned him down in his shock. Stoneheart looked up at her with big eyes. He didn't struggle as Eveningbreeze snarled into his face.

"Who told you to follow me? Kinkstar?"

He quickly shook his head. "No one. I just came on my own."

Eveningbreeze decided that she believed him. He hadn't ever lied to her. And maybe this was just his habit. He'd been following her for a long time this half moon, perhaps he couldn't  
stop it.

Eveningbreeze smiled down at him. "You can come then."

She let him up and started walking. He followed her quietly. He did seem confused as they went to the ThunderClan territory. They got to the fox den. Deepforest was laying out in a patch of sunlight. He looked relaxed. When he saw them he got up he didn't have a lot to do and Eveningbreeze knew he was getting bored. She's have to do something soon to convince him to stay. Eveningbreeze watched him glance at her brother. She quickly ignored that. Stoneheart wasn't what they were discussing.

"We need to get rid of Snaketail," Eveningbreeze meowed. "We need to get rid of him quickly and without any cat realizing it wasn't an accident. When he's gone, I'll be the deputy."

She could tell Deepforest believed her. he didn't know how a Clan worked. That the leader had to assign the new deputy, but Eveningbreeze was sure she'd be that cat. She was young, she was loyal to the Clan, (Tigerheart's relation to Tigerstar would remove him as Eveningbreeze's only major contender.), and she knew how the Clan worked. If Kinkstar saw how all the cats obeyed her and followed her, Kinkstar would have to assign Eveningbreeze. Even without an apprentice. That was part of having a small Clan. Not all the warriors could have an apprentice. She was sure though, that if she became deputy, Kinkstar would give her Dapplekit in time.

Eveningbreeze's tail twitched in thought. Unfortunately it brushed up against her brother. Deepforest looked back at the gray tabby.

"He followed me," Eveningbreeze explained. "I couldn't punish him for it because the Clan would wonder what had happened. I know he's shown up bleeding before. The Clan just assumes we've been fighting sibling fights. He might help us anyway."

Deepforest nodded. He had to believe her. Eveningbreeze kept him mostly in the dark about things. That meant he had to trust her and believe her. He'd been getting odd lately. Things he'd do would get her riled up or calm her down. It was like he was playing on her emotions. She knew she felt happy around him lately, but that was probably because he listened to her. Brownpaw used to do that. But now he was with some other she-cat.

Eveningbreeze put that out of her mind. Now she needed to figure out how Stoneheart could help them.

The meeting didn't last long. Eveningbreeze took Stoneheart back to camp. She knew she had to prove to Kinkstar that she wasn't disappearing. It was time they hunted.

"Why do you think you'll be deputy after Snaketail?"

Eveningbreeze looked over at Stoneheart. He asked the question that Eveningbreeze was hoping Deepforest would not ask. She thought of a way to answer her brother "Kinkstar doesn't know it yet," she meowed, "but a young deputy is what this Clan needs."

Eveningbreeze would have to start convince her Clan of that. Starting with the cats she was sure would be on her side.

* * *

**Hopefully this answers some questions on how Eveningbreeze thought she could take over. See you in a week!**


	15. Chapter 14: A Spy in our Midst

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_You're all lucky. You get two chapters early. I really had an urge to write._

_Thanks to my loyal reviewers who I enjoy very much:_ Oo-Rainpath_ and _VioletteRose_._

_And to new:_ Her Diary.

_The next two chapters are split between Eveningbreeze and Deepforest. I hadn't realized how much more interesting Eveningbreeze was compared with Deepforest. I hope I got her evilness right. . ._

* * *

**Chapter 14: A Spy in Our Midst**

The next two moons went by. Eveningbreeze brought her siblings more often to my den. They seemed to help with the plans. I noticed that Fernstripe didn't like me. Stoneheart didn't say anything at all and I could tell that he didn't think much of me. I was there and I worked with his sister and that mean he had to be careful around me.

Eveningbreeze came alone when she could, but she didn't come frequently or stay long. Sometimes she came at strange times, even in the middle of the night. She gave me snippets of what went on in her camp. How a few other cats listened to her. Redsky was one and her mother was the other. Eveningbreeze told me how the Clan started saying her name more often, listened to her, or referred to her to answer some questions.

Her eyes shone as he told me that. It made me understand her even more. She wanted attention. She crazed it. She wanted eyes on her and cats to follow her. I supposed I was the same. I wanted cats to speak with me and to look up to me.

It became boring out on my own. I wanted another cat to talk to. I didn't have many cats on the other side of the mountain. My brother and sister were enough. But after being in RiverClan and having many cats with me, I missed the company. The cats that did visit me didn't stay long or didn't talk to me. Stoneheart was petrified to be alone away from camp and he didn't trust me, and Fernstripe really disliked me.

She wouldn't voluntarily come to me. She only came if Eveningbreeze told her to, and she didn't stay long. I found it amusing to teas her when I could, just to get her to stay and to argue with me. I teased her about the way her fur looked that day, her relationship with her sister, or the way she walked. I'm sure that contributed to how much she hated me. If forced a distance between us that might not have been at all after our first meeting.

I saw Fallingpaw at the edges of her territory often. She seemed to be staying near the ShadowClan border a lot. This time that I watched her she seemed a bit distracted. She also had a sad look on her face. I wanted to comfort her, but I was still aware that another cat might be with her. I quickly left before I went out to meet her. I was sure there would be other times.

Then the night of the Gathering came again and Eveningbreeze put our plans into motion. My boredom ceased and I got excited once more with what was to come.

**_-Line-_**

Brownfeather became a warrior that first moon after Eveningbreeze's first meeting with Deepforest. One night he found a fox in the camp, trying to get into the nursery. He alerted the warriors and they all fought it off. Because of his diligence, Kinkstar gave him his warrior name. Brownpaw had become Brownfeather.

Eveningbreeze had been so proud of him, but after she congratulated him he didn't start a happy explanation of how well he did. He just nodded his thanks and went to continue his vigil. Eveningbreeze had felt like someone kicked her belly. He hadn't cared. After that, their relationship hadn't changed. Brownfeather was still distant. And Eveningbreeze knew it wasn't the warrior-apprentice relationship it probably had been before. She knew something was up. She had to find out what.

The next two moons later and Eveningbreeze got to go with the newest warrior Brownfeather. He bounced along to the island, proud of his accomplishment. Eveningbreeze wanted to be happy with him, but she glowered at him instead. It felt like she was lost in a rainstorm, with no end insight. She didn't understand why he didn't like her anymore.

They got to the island and waited for the rest of the cats to arrive. The air was chilly and Eveningbreeze huddled with her siblings, keeping warm. As Leopardstar called out the start of the meeting, Eveningbreeze glanced around the island. She noticed a tabby cat standing nearby her Clan.

Instantly her neck bristled. Who was spying on them? She stalked over. As she did, she made a motion with her tail. He siblings quickly followed. Eveningbreeze had used a signal Deepforest had taught her. He'd said it was a game of motions he and his siblings played as kits. It was a totally nonverbal conversation that he'd taught her in the last moons and Eveningbreeze found it extremely useful. She'd taught a few signals to her siblings.

"What do you want?" Eveningbreeze growled at the tabby when she reached the spy. Eveningbreeze noticed it was a she-cat. The tabby looked up at her with wide eyes. She glanced at Eveningbreeze's siblings.

"Um, nothing," the she-cat meowed. She looked nervous as if even saying those two words had cost her. Eveningbreeze felt satisfaction as she knew the she-cat was scared.

The rest of ShadowClan came over, ignoring the leaders on the tree. This was more interesting. Why had another cat come to them?

"A ThunderClan apprentice has gotten lost over here," Brownfeather's father Tigerheart meowed after sniffing the air around the wandering tabby.

Eveningbreeze moved closer and was pleased when the rest of the Clan followed, boxing the apprentice in. She looked even more nervous now. Her green eyes glanced around, looking for an escape. Eveningbreeze watched the she-cat's gaze rest on Brownfeather in a pleading way. It looked so intimate that Eveningbreeze immediately became suspicious. She looked at Brownfeather and saw that he was horrified. Eveningbreeze's eyes narrowed. By now the apprentice had looked away. It hadn't even taken that long. Just a few seconds.

"It's Fallingpaw," meowed Scorchtree, Eveningbreeze's father, in surprise.

"Fallingpaw?" Tigerheart meowed. "How do you know that?"

"Batwing and I met her along the border a long time ago," Scorchtree replied.

"So what is she doing here now?" the dark she-cat growled, staring at Fallingpaw threateningly. It had all started to make sense in her head. Brownfeather and this she-cat. If he helped Fallingpaw out of the mess she'd put herself in, she'd kill him.

"Hush, Eveningbreeze," a tortoiseshell she-cat with a scarred tail meowed. "This is a Gathering. You can't start fights here."

Eveningbreeze spared a glare for Olivespot. This was one she-cat she knew was loyal to Kinkstar. Eveningbreeze hated her for that and now for this.

"But what is she doing here?" Tigerheart insisted looking at the apprentice.

"I-I got lost," Fallingpaw meowed. "I'm sorry."

Eveningbreeze didn't believe her. She'd come for Brownfeather.

"Then get back to ThunderClan," Eveningbreeze meowed, flexing her claws.

She saw out of the corner of her eyes Fernstripe do the same and after a short pause Stoneheart copy them. Good, she thought. They were with her. She was disappointed when the rest of ShadowClan didn't threaten but they did want Fallingpaw to leave. She was put in a better mood when the brown tabby turned away without another word. Brownfeather didn't go after her. He sat down and acted like nothing at all had happened, but Eveningbreeze kept her eye on him.

Kinkstar was done talking when Eveningbreeze and the rest of her Clan looked back at the leaders. Eveningbreeze wasn't disappointed with that. No one needed to listen to the weak she-cat anyway. Onestar was the next cat up. Eveningbreeze attention was caught.

"I'm here to declare war on ThunderClan," the WindClan leader meowed.

The cats below muttered in shock. The WindClan cats growled and so did the ThunderClan cats.

"Why is that, Onestar?" Firestar asked, trying to keep calm.

"We've warned you, Firestar," the brown tabby tom growled. "I told you to stop stealing prey from us. You haven't listened at it is leaf-bare. You're stealing from my Clan!"

His Clan yowled in agreement.

When they finally quieted down, Firestar meowed, "I don't know what you're talking about. My cats are not stealing your prey. We're barely making it by on our own territory-"

"Which is why you steal from mine," Onestar hissed.

Eveningbreeze was suddenly gleeful. One part of her plan was working at least. ThunderClan would be totally distracted by Onestar now. None of them would notice a murder right on their territory.

The leaders and Clans looked as if they might start fighting now. The Clan's noise became a dull drone.

"We have not!" Firestar roared, quieting them down once more. "My cats have not been hunting on your land."

"I don't believe you," Onestar meowed. "You have been warned."

He jumped from the branch just as the clouds covered the moon. They were thick and everyone knew StarClan had declared this Gathering over.

The cats watched as WindClan left the island. Slowly the rest went to their Clans. ShadowClan was the next off the island, they only watched as Kinkstar and the other leaders talked before Kinkstar jumped off of the tree and waved her tail at them. Once they left the island Kinkstar explained what she'd told Firestar.

"We won't help him, not even if it comes to a battle," the brown leader told them.

For once Eveningbreeze felt proud of her leader. That was the best decision yet that Kinkstar had made. Eveningbreeze certainly didn't want to get into a fight to defend them not when she'd wanted them to start fighting in the first place. In fact if ShadowClan was going to get into a war, it would be against ThunderClan. That way Eveningbreeze could find Fallingpaw and kill her.

A cat bumped into her. Eveningbreeze growled in anger and turned to see Brownfeather. Instantly she stopped growling, but he'd moved off without another glance, not even wanting to talk with her. Her eyes narrowed. Fallingpaw and Brownfeather. Suddenly her plans all made sense to her. She knew exactly what she was going to do. It was time to move the plans forward.

* * *

**Another Note: Times between ****Falling into Shadow**** and this probably won't be very acurate. This seems to be incredibly slow and I need some way to make it better.**


	16. Chapter 15: Battle with Memories

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 15: ThunderClan Battle**

Eveningbreeze knew exactly what would follow. She knew how Snaketail would die and ThunderClan would be blamed for his death. She knew that if ShadowClan sided with WindClan against ThunderClan for the 'murder' she would go to kill Fallingpaw. Brownfeather would have to turn back to Eveningbreeze to be a mate. And after Kinkstar died, everyone in ShadowClan would look to Eveningbreeze to guide them through the harsh winter. Kinkstar was eager to start.

Eveningbreeze went to Deepforest the morning after the Gathering to explain everything to him.

"It has to be near the border," she told him. "Very near. ThunderClan has to be blamed."

He nodded his head in agreement. He could see her plan already. He was a sharp-witted tom, Eveningbreeze decided. He was more worthy of her attention than Brownfeather.

"I'll tell him there's prey out there. Prey that we can't let ThunderClan get. He'll come. Perhaps alone to scout it out. That is when you attack."

Deepforest nodded again. Eveningbreeze could see his eagerness. She knew he was getting anxious doing nothing. She was afraid he might leave if they didn't start the plan soon. It was good that she suddenly knew what to do. She couldn't let him leave. She needed Deepforest to control and to rule ShadowClan with her.

And, a small part of her realized, she would miss him if he left. He was the one cat she always knew would be there for her and would follow her. Not like Fernstripe who, though obeyed Eveningbreeze's every word, didn't support her or help her do things. Deepforest had ideas. Fernstripe was just the cat to order around and to get things done and to keep Stoneheart in line on the occasions he rebelled.

"I'll be back to tell you when," Eveningbreeze told Deepforest.

He smiled at her as she left. He was really pleased. Things were finally happening.

_**-Line-**_

The snow really started that moon. It came down in large flakes. But they melted too quickly for it to really stick. I sometimes sat outside my den watching it, waiting for Eveningbreeze to come and tell me when. I really wanted to do it. I had been getting really bored and wondered if I could make it over the mountain that leafbare. Truly leafbare had come. Eveningbreeze didn't come though. I waited so very long. I even snuck over the border still to provoke WindClan even more. Eveningbreeze said that WindClan had declared war on ThunderClan. She said that when they fought that would be the perfect time to strike. Snaketail's death would seem like ThunderClan had been protecting their borders because they were suspicious.

I didn't mind that Eveningbreeze wanted me to kill the deputy. That might sound heartless, but I really didn't. I'd killed before.

Eveningbreeze couldn't do the deed. She had to be seen with other cat to make sure she wasn't blamed at all. She said I was the perfect cat for the job. That no one would suspect me because no one knew I was there. I waited for the call.

One night I awoke to a loud commotion. I hesitantly crept out of my den that night, the half moon hung low in the sky and a few gathering clouds blocked its light. I scanned the undergrowth, looking for what was going on. I saw no one in my area and quickly walked along the border. I caught the scent of WindClan. My heart seized. Were they attacking ShadowClan?

I quickly followed the scent trail and was relived when I found it was going into ThunderClan. But then I started worrying again as what was happening impacted me. Fallingpaw was in ThunderClan. If WindClan attacked with ThunderClan unprepared, she could get hurt. I'd always thought WindClan would attack in the day, giving ThunderClan time to prepare. Now I realized how foolish that had been.

I dove over the border, following the scent. Because I didn't want to get caught by WindClan I hurried cautiously. They were going to the ThunderClan camp. I got there long after the long-legged cats did. I heard the sounds of battle in the quarry. I slunk along the quarry dip, looking down at the scene. No cat saw me.

I was stunned at the carnage. Never had I seen a battle like this before. Cats battled in the darkness. The small of blood and pain reached me with the sounds of agony. My mind went back to late last greenleaf.

**-Memory-**

_We found her dead. Her body looked as if it had been flung to the side after being ripped to shreds. Our mother was no longer among the living. _

_"Who did this?" Sky hissed, as she crouched over our mother that looked exactly like her. _

_It was odd to stare at the two identical she-cats one living and one dead. _

_"It must have been a crazy cat," Rabbit meowed gloomily. "Maybe he had a sickness." _

_I gazed at Hawthorn. Last morning she'd gone off on her own, to gather some sort of herb for Rabbit. He said his tail had been bothering him again and she wanted to help sooth it. No one had volunteered to help her. _

_We'd noticed her missing the other night. We returned to one of our camps and after a while she never joined us. We supposed maybe she'd stopped for the night somewhere else and would come. But the next afternoon she never showed. We went to look for her and we found her near the stream. Her herbs scattered around her like her blood. Her face a mask of terror and pain. The smell of her old blood not blocked out by the loamy smell of the rotting leaves. _

_"Whoever it is, they're going to pay," I hissed as I stared at Hawthorn. _

_Sky's eyes flashed. Rabbit for once held his tongue at what I had to say. _

_"We'll find her murderer," I meowed, looking at my siblings. "And we'll kill him." _

_Sky smiled a deadly grin. Rabbit nodded, his face hard._

_**-End-**  
_  
My mind was brought back into ThunderClan when a voice called out, "Darkfire!"

I watched a large black tom jump off of a ledge below me. He easily pushed through the group of swarming cats. I wondered where he was going. The answer came to me when I saw him jump on another dark colored cat, knocking him over. Darkfire fought fiercely, tearing at the gray tom's chest and legs. He even scratched at the other tom's face, making the other tom duck his head. Darkfire bit the back of his neck. I watched as suddenly the tom underneath the black cat pushed up, making Darkfire lose his grip. The WindClan cat ran away. I expected the black tom to chase, but was surprised when Darkfire turned and leaned over a lump of whitish fur on the ground.

Slowly he turned away and walked as if sad. I realized this other cat had died like my mother. My mind went cloudy and I lost the black tom in the darkness. But I still watched the battle below me. Slowly I saw that ThunderClan was winning. They were pushing the other cats out of the camp. And I noticed how few there actually were running away.

Finally only Onestar remained with a few other cats. I see him standing in front of Firestar. I missed what the one tom said to another, but then a gust of wind blew their voices up to me.

"We have not stolen your prey," Firestar meowed.

"Then what cat has?" Onestar demanded.

My fur bristled as Firestar remained silent.

"We are still at war until you can give me the thief," Onestar snarled. Then he and Ashfoot, the last of WindClan in the camp, left, and ThunderClan was left with the devastation.

A few flakes of snow shot passed me down into the camp where thorns, leaves, blood, and fur littered the ground. I realized it was time to go before anyone spotted me. ThunderClan had survived the attack and they wouldn't be hesitant to hurt any strange cat if they caught it.

I slipped over the border. I met no WindClan cats. I was sure they'd gone directly back to their territory and hadn't crossed into ShadowClan again.

When Eveningbreeze came to me the morning after the battle, I explained what I'd seen. She didn't seem surprised.

"We caught their scent," she meowed, nodding. "We did wonder what was going on. At least now I know. I think it's time to start."

She had a grin on her face.

"I'll tell Snaketail where to go and in two days I'm sure he'll come. Find an area to hide and plan out how you'll attack him. Remember, near the border."

She left as quickly as she came. I watched her go. That day I hunted on the mountain and when I got back I scouted my territory. I stayed near the ThunderClan ShadowClan border, searching. I wanted an area with undergrowth and lots of ThunderClan scent. I easily found one. It had been a second choice for a den if I hadn't succeeded in getting rid of the fox. I looked over the area, found a few rocks, bushes, and a good place to hide. I practiced springing out onto an unsuspecting cat. That amused me for a while and I tussled with some fallen leaves. When I was done, though panting, I felt actually happy. I hadn't had a fun time in so long. I was really looking forward to this.

**_-Line-_**

Two nights later we met again. We were crouched together under shadows that dappled our fur. Looking over at Eveningbreeze, it was hard to see her. Not even the snow on the ground lit up her fur. It was as if we were the shadows.

"Is it ready?" asked, her voice a low hiss.

I had to strain to hear her. For once I wondered why she was being secretive. It wasn't like this hadn't been going on for a long time. Four moons we'd done nothing but plan.

"The trap is set," I answered. I'd been by just that day as well to make sure. It was all perfect.

"Good," Eveningbreeze purred, suddenly happy. "They'll never know what happened. Another Clan will certainly be blamed. And I will finally get what I've wanted for so long."

"But there's still -," Kinkstar, I was going to say, but she interrupted me like it was nothing.

"I know. The leader can be dealt with as well. The Clan can't suspect what's going on."  
I certainly hoped so.

"You'll have their support though?" I asked. That's what really bothered me and gave me second thoughts. If she didn't have the Clan, then there was no point in continuing. This all hinged on her becoming deputy.

The she-cat nodded. "I can make sure of it."

* * *

**Read Spottedstarshell's Darkclaw's Greed. I'm one of the co-authors and have done prologue and Chapter 3**


	17. Chapter 16: Trap for a Snake

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Sorry about not posting during the weekend. I was in Las Vegas. My mom had a book signing and I went along. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story. It's still between Eveningbreeze and Deepforest. I discovered I kind of like Eveningbreeze now. She's really a good evil cat!_

_Thanks to my reviewers:_ Oo-Rainpath-oO, VioletteRose, Warriors-Skywing _and_ Icethroat21.

* * *

**Chapter 16: A trap for a Snake**

**-Memory-**

_We picked up the killer's scent over Hawthorn's own blood and rotting leaves. I could tell it was a tom, but nothing else. There was no indicator of age or if he was healthy or not._

_"It could have been a badger for all we know," Rabbit complained as we trailed the fading scent._

_"It isn't," I answered._

_Of course we hadn't been sure what killed our mother at first because everything has claws and teeth, but a fox will usually eat a cat afterward and a badger would kick dirt and leaves over the body in a symbol of conquering. So we'd assumed cat, and were proven right by the smell. Now only a half day out, Rabbit was having second thoughts._

_"What will we do when we get him?" Sky asked, her voice hard._

_She walked by my side, smelling with me to keep me on track. On occasion, when I couldn't continue because of a hard headache, she would take over. Rabbit followed glumly after. He didn't ever help either. I wondered if he even wanted revenge. Hawthorn had been killed for him! Didn't he care at all?_

_"We kill him," I meowed._

_"But before?"_

_She stared hard at me. It was as if she were asking me for permission._

_"We make him pay and know why he's paying," I replied, my voice deadly calm._

_She nodded firmly, satisfied. That was what she wanted to hear._

_As she walked, she looked at her claws as if imagining she were sinking them into the killer._

_I wanted to be there sinking them in too. We had to find the cat who did this._

_I sniffed a patch of grass along the trail. He'd stepped there. I sniffed hard at it and then continued on. However, just as sudden as the smell was in my nose, it was gone. I paused and started searching, desperate to find it again. Sky hadn't been paying attention and as I paused, panic filled her eyes. We couldn't have lost it. Not now, not when he was a day-and-a-half ahead! If we didn't catch him soon, we probably never would._

_**-end-**_

I waited, hiding under the bush. It was the day after Eveningbreeze contacted me. She would be sending Snaketail my way today or tomorrow. I waited near the ThunderClan border, near a patch of toadstools. Their pugnant smell blocked my own, and unfortunately the scent of anything else. I was thinking about rolling in them and hiding in another bush to get away from them. But as I thought about it, rolling in them did appeal to me, even if I didn't move. When Snaketail came he wouldn't smell me at all as I jumped for him. There wasn't anything besides my cat scent that would alert him to the danger. Even the birds had gone back to singing. They'd stopped when they'd seen me after dawn, but I'd been still for such along time they'd forgotten about me.

I wondered how long it would take for him to come. As I shifted to a more comfortable position, my eyes caught a squirrel racing over the clearing and on the thin crust of snow. It raced up a tree with faint scratching sounds. I titled my head as I watched it. The pine tree branches suddenly moved, dumping snow into small piles. I flinched in surprise. Even the birds went quiet.

The breeze left, but overhead I saw the clouds swirl with a stronger wind. It took a short time for the prey to relax. A surprisingly plumb dove landed and picked through the thin snow to pine nuts below. I was tempted to rush out and kill it, but I couldn't. Not only would the prey flee, Snaketail could be lurking somewhere. I didn't want to be seen by him. So I stayed absolutely still. When Snaketail came, he would not know a thing.

A day later, I was still waiting. Patrols had been by from both ThunderClan and ShadowClan and only my stillness and covered scent saved me. They didn't know I was there at all, not even when they passed right by me. I could have stuck out my paw and would have hit one of them.

I saw Eveningbreeze once. She looked a bit annoyed. I didn't go out because she was with the evening patrol. The next morning I saw Snaketail, but he was with a patrol too. I could do nothing. ThunderClan came by on occasion. I heard them but didn't see anything but flashes of fur through the undergrowth. I wondered what Fallingpaw was doing. I wondered what ThunderClan did after the battle with WindClan. They didn't seem harmed at all. They were still active and loud talkers. In fact that night I waited for Snaketail, I heard them at moon high. They were being really cautious though, that time, but I could still hear their pawsteps. They must have feared another attack.

The second day it was hard for me to sit still. I was expecting Snaketail at any time. I didn't leave to eat, but I did go a short way off to make dirt, scared Snaketail would come at any moment and I wouldn't be ready for him.

It snowed during the second morning. I was shivering by sun high. Finally a cat came alone. I could hear their singular pawsteps. There was no one else. This had to be Snaketail. I tensed, getting ready to spring. The small, cold shriveled ferns rustled and out came a dark cat. I sighed, and relaxed, realizing it was just Eveningbreeze. She was here alone. She must have been searching for me. As she walked, her head turned side to side.

I came out from under the bush. My back got wet from the leaves. I was grateful the bushes hadn't lost their leaves like most of the trees. These were the types of bushes that didn't. They made the perfect hiding space. Eveningbreeze saw me. I saw anger in the back of her eyes as she stopped in front of me.

"He won't be coming," she meowed. She started pacing again.

"Why didn't it work?" she demanded. Her dark fur bristling.

"Maybe he was warned," I shrugged. "Someone probably prepared him."

I was disappointed. I'd been waiting for nothing. I wondered which of her siblings had told.

"Who told him not to go?" she growled, echoing my thought.

I could tell she was really angry. So angry she might do something about it. Maybe go into camp and kill the deputy herself or maybe the one that had warned him. I hoped she didn't do something like that right now.

"You'd know better than I. It is not my Clan," I told her. Of course I wasn't sure he'd been warned at all. I was just guessing. Maybe he was just being cautious and didn't think that much prey would be out.

Eveningbreeze glared at me and then turned away.

I supposed there was no point in me sticking around anymore. I quickly left the area and went to get something to eat. Then I'd take a long rest.

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze stalked away. Her legs were stiff with anger and her face was in a snarl. Everything had been ruined. Everything! If Snaketail didn't die, she couldn't be deputy. If she wasn't deputy, she couldn't be leader after Kinkstar died. And it was all somecat's fault. She knew Deepforest had a point, but for some reason she was angry with her companion. He'd failed to kill the deputy and he made her believe someone had told Snaketail not to come. She wasn't happy with anyone at this time. Herself, for thinking everything would go so smoothly, Deepforest for figuring out the thing that she wanted least to happen, and Snaketail for not being as gullible as she supposed he would be.

Eveningbreeze growled low as she went back to camp. She had to figure out who had done it. There were only three cats other than Deepforest that knew about the plan. Eveningbreeze had to know who. As she thought, she realized she knew. Her face took on features of distaste. Stoneheart.

His rebellious side had come out again as it did on occasion. She could remember him talking to Snaketail yesterday morning. Eveningbreeze had spoken to Snaketail about the rich supply of prey near the ThunderClan border and her regrets about how she was going on the morning patrol and couldn't hunt there. Snaketail assured her he would go. After Eveningbreeze ate and started to leave with her patrol, she noticed Stoneheart talking to the deputy. He hadn't looked nervous like he was betraying her at all so Eveningbreeze had thought nothing of it. Now it made sense why her brother was talking with the deputy. He hadn't been looking for an assignment after all.

Eveningbreeze knew she had to get her brother back in line and see how much he'd betrayed her. Had he told Snaketail he was going to die? Had he told him about Kinkstar's want-to-be killer? Had he said anything about Deepforest? Eveningbreeze realized it was time for her to deal with Stoneheart herself. No longer could she let Fernstripe do it for her. Obviously that wasn't working.

As Eveningbreeze entered the camp, she calmed herself. She had to make sure no one suspected a thing. As she entered, she didn't see Stoneheart anywhere. She did see Fernstripe though. Her tabby sister gave her a questioning look. Eveningbreeze shook her head. Fernstripe looked disappointed and went back to cleaning herself. Eveningbreeze walked all the way into camp and looked at the other cats. There were only two others that she could see.

Dawncloud and little Dapplekit. The kit was playing with a moss ball and Dawncloud watched her with a smile. Eveningbreeze walked past them with a pleasant nod and laid down beside Fernstripe. She might as well guard the camp too. She didn't feel like hunting.

Kinkstar was getting a bit suspicious. After scenting WindClan in her territory, she wanted a guard to be at camp always to make sure they weren't attacked. That made patrols a bit difficult to arrange with no cat off duty. Everyone was kept really busy for a while. Eveningbreeze finally convinced Kinkstar to bring down the guard from two to one, saying Dawncloud could still fight even though she had a kit and Oakfur wasn't so old he couldn't defend himself. Kinkstar had surprisingly listened. That filled Eveningbreeze's heart with pride. Though she didn't like the ShadowClan leader, she valued some of Kinkstar's opinions.

The patrols came back later that day. Eveningbreeze looked disappointed at the day's catch. The prey was scarce, all sleeping for leafbare. She'd have to go hungry again. At times she wished she could let Deepforest hunt and bring back food for ShadowClan, but that would just raise questions she didn't want to answer. And if she covered by saying she was hunting out of the territory, Kinkstar would probably get angry that she wasn't following the code.

Eveningbreeze snorted to herself. She liked and appreciated the code, but not with such zest as some of the cats in her Clan. They followed the warrior code because "StarClan" had said to. Eveningbreeze followed it because she knew it strengthened her Clan. She knew cats had created it to keep themselves safe, not because of some higher will. She'd never believed in StarClan. They never did anything. If they existed, they would have put ShadowClan back to their former glory, not let them catch greencough and almost get wiped out. Eveningbreeze knew her Clan had to realize the Clan's strength came from themselves, not StarClan. However, she wasn't going to declare that to her Clan. She wouldn't make the same mistake as Sol. If her Clan wanted to live a lie, she'd let them, but StarClan had nothing to do with her.

"Nothing for us," Fernstripe sighed about the food as it got passed around.

"No," Eveningbreeze agreed.

"Do you think we could go out and hunt?" Fernstripe asked hopefully.

"No," Eveningbreeze answered quietly, her eyes watching the other cats. "Kinkstar would want to know where we got it and why we didn't bring any back."

"But I haven't eaten since yesterday," Fernstripe complained, "and Dapplekit, Dawncloud, and Oakfur have their food!"

"But Kinkstar and Acornpaw don't," Eveningbreeze pointed out. "And neither do the rest of the Clan. We'd have to bring some back for everyone before we were allowed to eat. Besides, I'm tired."

She yawned and got up to go to the warriors den. That was when her brother came back with one of the patrols. She glared at him as he passed. He wasn't even looking at her and missed it. She knew that tonight he would be safe, but one of these days, she would know how to punish him appropriately.

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun.**

**How will Stoneheart be punished? Will Deepforest and his siblings ever catch up to the murderer? What evil things is Eveningbreeze plotting?**

**Oh, check out a really awesome Warriors show on Youtube:** .com/watch?v=1XYgtSCHvp4

**To look up the title**: episode 1 part 1 - SSS Warrior Cats fan animation **by **ssswarriorcats


	18. Chapter 17: Mother and Son

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Mother and Son**

**-memory-**

_He'd doubled back on his own trail. The tom's scent had disappeared because he hadn't continued forward. It took us a long time to figure that out. When we did, we quickly tried to find the trail he'd taken away, but we had to stop for the night. That made me angry. Did he realize we were following him? Probably not. Probably he'd remembered he had something else to do, or it was the thicket of brambles and thorns that had blocked his path and made him turn around to an easier access._

_By now my siblings and I were far out of our territory. We'd never gone this far. We were only a bit older than six moons after all. Hawthorn had taken us almost everywhere with her and only around her territory. We were young, but old enough to care for ourselves and being out of our territory wasn't dangerous for us. This adventure we could do together._

_Sky woke me before dawn. She nudged me awake and when I was coherent, she glanced over at Rabbit and made a motion that told me to be quiet. I obeyed and followed her away._

_"We should leave him," she whispered to me._

_"Why?" I asked._

_"He's holding us up. He doesn't even want to be here. We can leave him now and we'll probably catch up to the murderer."_

_I shook my head. "We can't leave him, Sky."_

_"Why not?" she hissed._

_"He's our brother. He needs to be there with us, helping avenge Hawthorn."_

_Sky glared at me, but her tail twitched and she nodded her head in assent, but by the flicking of her shoulder I could tell she was not happy. She'd wanted me to agree with her. We probably would have been gone before Rabbit got up. He wouldn't know a thing. Maybe eventually he'd head back to our territory to wait for us._

_"Catch something to eat," I told her and walked away._

_I stepped around the pebbles and flower stalks. My paws silent on the soft, grassy ground. I went over to Rabbit and shook him awake. He opened his blue eyes and stared up at me. I wondered if he'd been sleeping at all. I had a suspicion he'd heard us. I felt guilt go through me as I looked him in the eyes. I do know that I was tempted to leave him, but I still thought he might like to help._

_"It's time to go," I told him, acting as if I didn't notice how awake he already seemed._

_Rabbit nodded and slowly got up. I waited as he stretched. It seemed all for show._

_"It's going to rain," he meowed as he followed behind me to Sky, who'd already caught a bird in such a short time._

_"No, it won't," Sky spat back, the fur on her neck raised._

_He looked at her and turned away. "I'll catch my own bird. And if not, then I'll starve to death. You don't need me after all."_

_We stared after him as he diapered behind a thin tree. Sky glanced at me. Her ear tilting to the side asked if he'd heard. I nodded. Sky sighed and lowered her head, her fire gone. She felt bad about her comments now. But that was in the past. There was nothing we could do now but include our brother._

_We started tracking soon after. We found the split off trail but it was so faint I was worried. Would we catch him before the trail was gone? Overhead storm clouds rolled in._

**_-end-_**

Not even a full quarter moon passed when the visitors were brought to the ShadowClan camp. Scorchtree rushed into camp as if his tail was on fire. Eveningbreeze looked up. It was just sun high and for once all the ShadowClan cats, but the sun high patrol, were in camp. She was sitting next to Stoneheart watching him as she relaxed. She still hadn't repaid him for his deed, but she was planning the most cruel way to do it.

Scorchtree came into camp with excitement. Eveningbreeze watched him go into Kinkstar's den. All of the cats wondered what was going on. The Clan leader shortly came out with a disturbed expression on her face. Snaketail close behind her. He looked like he was in awe at what Scorchtree had to say.

"Come," Kinkstar waved her tail at her Clan.

As one they all got up. Eveningbreeze realized as she got up instinctually, that was the kind of behavior she wanted from her own cats as she led them: instant obedience. She'd have to work on that. First it would start with Stoneheart. She walked beside him, eager to find out what was going on. She looked around and saw Brownfeather at her other side. Her heart warmed as she looked at him. He looked straight ahead as he followed Kinkstar. He still was ignoring Eveningbreeze, but soon he would return to her. That was until she walked out of the camp and saw what faced her.

Fallingpaw. She was standing there behind a large black tom and a dark-brown tom that had spiky fur. But Eveningbreeze didn't pay any attention to them, as she was glaring at Fallingpaw. Her claws came out in anger. She didn't notice that the rest of her Clan looked ready to attack as well.

Kinkstar walked right up to the toms and hissed at them.

"What are you doing here?"

Eveningbreeze was surprised at the tense behavior of her leader. She was almost shocked enough to pull in her claws, but as she looked over at Brownfeather, the anger came back. His 'mate' had come.

"I wanted to see you again," the brown tom meowed, sounding confident.

"Why would you want to see me?" Kinkstar asked. Eveningbreeze heard surprise in her leader's voice.

"Some things need to be discussed privately," the black tom rumbled. Eveningbreeze's gaze went over to him. His yellow eyes looked so blank, Eveningbreeze wondered if he was blind.

"And why are you back?" Kinkstar turned on him. "You stayed with ThunderClan when our patrol pulled back. Then we heard you left. How did you end up with this traitor?"

Eveningbreeze wondered why she was calling these toms traitors. Had they met before? She looked around to see if anyone else was confused. The older cats didn't in fact it was as if they knew these cats. Only she and Stoneheart looked uncertain. Eveningbreeze looked at Fernstripe (who'd been on the patrol that brought these three cats in) and saw that she didn't look as confused.

"I left for a while," the dark tom nodded. "I couldn't leave my brother to die and then I felt I had to get our mother just in case he did die. But Hollyleaf wasn't where we left her."

And suddenly it made sense. Eveningbreeze recognized him. This was Darkfire, the cat her Clan talked about when they didn't think Kinkstar was listening. Mostly a few cats spoke of him more, and what had happened. How Darkfire, son of Hollyleaf had come to the Clans to take over, how he'd joined ShadowClan and taught them new techniques, how he found out Needlefur and a ThunderClan cat were seeing each other, how Darkfire and a patrol went to punish them, and how instead of killing Needlefur as planned, Darkfire almost killed his brother instead. After that, no one had seen the black warrior or Needlefur since. It looked like they'd returned.

Eveningbreeze looked over them and a memory came back to her. She could recall seeing these two before. Darkfire had come into the nursery a few times when Eveningbreeze was younger. He was usually frowning when he saw her or her siblings. Eveningbreeze hadn't really liked him as a kit, but now that she was older, she wondered if it were possible for them to get along. They almost had the same goals after all.

Tigerheart was just getting done with saying something. Eveningbreeze brought her attention back to the conversation. She knew this was extremely important. Something was about to happen.

"There was a story that she wanted to take over the Clans," Kinkstar's eyes narrowed. "Through her sons."

Eveningbreeze watched as the older warriors tensed up. They'd been getting relaxed before as they recognized Darkfire as the cat most of them had liked. They soon realized what Darkfire really was. Eveningbreeze felt her heart pound in excitement.

"I admit, I was working for her at the time," Darkfire acknowledged. "But after leaving the Clans behind and not finding her, I discovered that my heart wasn't in my task. When I finally found Hollyleaf again and found Summerheat camp, I asked her about it. Hollyleaf doesn't want to control the Clans anymore. She's content to stay with Raven. And I don't want to bother with taking over again."

Eveningbreeze felt herself start laughing. She couldn't help him. That was such a joke. He had to be lying. Who didn't want to take over a weak Clan and after doing all that in the past, why would he want to give it up?

Eveningbreeze soon quieted down. As she did, she was surprised no one glared at her for interrupting. They didn't seem to react at all. She felt glad that they must have felt the same as her.

"This still doesn't explain why you've come back," Kinkstar meowed, facing her son again, her face like stone.

There was silence for a time as the Clan waited.

"I wanted to ask for your forgiveness," Needlefur finally meowed.

The ShadowClan leader's eyes widened in shock. Eveningbreeze felt hers doing the same. Forgiveness? Whatever for?

Suddenly Kinkstar's face went blank. Eveningbreeze didn't know what the ShadowClan leader was thinking when she asked, "Have you come back to rejoin our Clan?"

"No-"

"Have you given up that ThunderClan cat?" Kinkstar interrupted.

"No, we're mates and have kits-"

"Then why should I forgive you?" Kinkstar growled.

Needlefur was silent, his eyes looking downward as he struggled with finding a reason. Eveningbreeze watched in interest, everything else forgotten but what was happening between these three cats. Why had Needlefur come back if he didn't want to rejoin ShadowClan? Why did he want forgiveness so badly? Eveningbreeze wondered if Kinkstar would do it.

"You shouldn't," Fallingpaw snapped.

All eyes turned to her. Everyone seemed surprised by her outburst. Eveningbreeze certainly was. Was Fallingpaw giving up her friend? Why had she come from ThunderClan anyway? Eveningbreeze wondered.

"You should be asking for his forgiveness," Fallingpaw continued.

Eveningbreeze growled with the rest of her Clan. She looked to the side when she heard nothing from Brownfeather. The dark tabby tom just looked horrified at his mate. She seemed to be provoking ShadowClan.

_Do more_, Eveningbreeze encouraged, her eyes flashing. Then when her Clan attacked, she'd tear the little apprentice's throat out.

Darkfire quickly shook his head at Fallingpaw. He wanted her to be quiet and to stop teasing the other Clan. Eveningbreeze felt pleased as Fallingpaw ignored all of them and focused on Kinkstar.

"He's your kit and you tried to kill him," she meowed, staring into Kinkstar's angry eyes. "That was wrong. The code shouldn't have been more important than your kit. All he did was love! What's wrong with that?"

"Stupid kit," Kinkstar snarled, thrusting her head forward. "He fell in love with a cat from another Clan. That is what's wrong!"

Darkfire suddenly stood, placing himself between the two she-cats. Eveningbreeze strained forward, waiting for an excuse to attack, her Clan jumped forward with her. Fallingpaw's head showed over the black warrior's shoulder, trying to look at Kinkstar.

"He was your kit!" she shouted at Kinkstar. "How is the warrior code more important than him?"

Kinkstar looked like she'd jump over Darkfire to get at Fallingpaw. She wanted to tear the she-cat to shreds. For once in her life, Eveningbreeze encouraged the leader in her mind.

"Kinkstar," Needlefur desperately meowed.

Kinkstar turned to look at her son, her attention drawn back to the problem.

"Don't fight," Needlefur meowed. "We didn't come here to do that. I just needed to know if you still. . .cared. We'll leave now. It can be forgotten. I won't ever come back."

"You expect your intrusion and mistake to be forgotten?" demanded Redsky. "You made ShadowClan a mockery. We were trying to uphold the code when all along one of our warriors was going behind our backs. You deserved your punishment."

Eveningbreeze almost purred. That was the spirit. Finally he'd stood up for something. What she was telling him had to have finally gotten in.

"But Kinkstar didn't deserve to have to see it fulfilled," a softer voice meowed. That had everyone's attention. They turned to the ShadowClan cat that had spoken.  
Eveningbreeze tried to spot who'd said that.

It was Batwing, a dark gray she-cat with large ears. Eveningbreeze glared at the older warrior. Why did she have to ruin everything?

"It wasn't fair of Blackstar to make her go on that patrol," the she-cat continued.

"She was deputy," Redsky meowed. "It was her job."

"But as Needlefur's mother," Batwing meowed, shaking her head. "It wasn't fair."

"We aren't talking about what's fair or not," Kinkstar interrupted them. "Just get them off of our territory. Olivespot, Rowanclaw, Snaketail."

Kinkstar waved her tail in a command. Eveningbreeze and her Clan faded away back into camp, trusting the three warriors to remove the threat. Eveningbreeze felt a touch of disappointment that nothing had happened. She hadn't gotten to hurt Fallingpaw after all. And she still didn't know if Darkfire could be any help. If he was in ThunderClan, maybe after she took over ShadowClan, she could convince him to help her get the biggest Clan. If that happened, none of the other Clans would be able to stop the inevitable. Eveningbreeze would soon be leader of the whole lake.

New plans swam in Eveningbreeze's head as she went back into the camp. Brownfeather passed by her, the scent of his terror slowly fading around him. Eveningbreeze's eyes narrowed. Soon he'd have to make his decision. Was he for ShadowClan or did he want Fallingpaw. Eveningbreeze knew she'd have to make the same decision. Would worrying about this useless tom get in her way, or would she concentrate on Snaketail?

* * *

**Eveningbreeze doesn't yet know that Fallingpaw is now Fallingsnow.**


	19. Chapter 18: Punishment

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Punishment**

Eveningbreeze looked up. She had a feeling she knew what to do now. Brownfeather didn't matter after all. After she'd taken over the Clan she could worry about him. For now she had to work on Snaketail.

She shook out her fur and approached Kinkstar. The leader looked really angry. She must not have wanted to have to confront her son at all. Eveningbreeze knew she would have handled the situation better. She would have killed Fallingpaw, captured Needlefur and made him a ShadowClan warrior again, and see where Darkfire's loyalties lay. If he would help her, she'd let him live, if not, he would have been crowfood. She thought scornfully of how Kinkstar had let something good slip through her paws.

"Kinkstar?" Eveningbreeze meowed, her voice calm.

"What?" Kinkstar snapped at the young warrior.

Eveningbreeze bowed her head. She wasn't scared at being yelled at, but she tried to show respect for her leader. Maybe Kinkstar would regret yelling at Eveningbreeze if she didn't do anything threatening.

"I think you did the right thing," she lied through her teeth. She had to make Kinkstar feel good, or at least trust her.

"Needlefur is at fault and though I admire him for coming all the way just to meet with you again, he made a big mistake," Eveningbreeze continued, not looking at her leader. "That is in the past now. And unless something changes before the Gathering, we won't be seeing him again."

"You have a point," Kinkstar nodded her head, a bit more calmer now. "but what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'd like to take Stoneheart hunting with me," Eveningbreeze meowed, raising her head to look up at her leader. Though Kinkstar's eyes were still smoldering, she was outwardly calm. It seemed as if Eveningbreeze words had helped somewhat.

"Of course you can," Kinkstar nodded. "You don t have to ask. Thank you for volunteering."

Eveningbreeze gave a small, fake smile and then went to find her brother. He was talking with Fernstripe. The tabby she-cat was telling him all about the meeting at the border. Eveningbreeze realized she'd have to drill Fernstripe about later. Right now she had something to do.

"Stoneheart, we're going hunting."

He got up reluctantly and followed her from camp.

They walked calmly most of the way through the piney forest. Stoneheart must have wondered why they hadn't started hunting yet. Eveningbreeze led them far away from the camp. No cat would find them now by accident.

Suddenly she turned on him. The dark furred she cat slammed her paw into the tom's chest. He fell to the ground. He lay winded, at her mercy. His natural instincts toward her took over. He lay still, his eyes wide as he looked up at her. Eveningbreeze knew what had happened to him as a kit must have been coming back. She'd almost trained him to stay still through so many things until each time he would be begging her for more like she wanted. She'd mostly stopped hurting him after their apprenticeship. She'd been busy then and had learned hurting her Clan mates wasn't ignored like it was as a kit. So she let Fernstripe handle his punishments. Still, though the three of them would get into arguments and they would fight, especially when Stoneheart struck out. He still sometimes forgot not to do that.

Eveningbreeze hoped he wouldn't do that now. He was larger than her now, but perhaps he didn't realize he could hurt her back.

"You told," she spat at him. "You warned him not to go."

"Y-yes," the tom whimpered his confession.

"You weak fool," she hissed. "You have too soft a heart for these things."

The tom vigorously nodded his head. He knew it was best to always agree with her during these times. Eveningbreeze was counting on that. She dug in with her claws a bit more, leaning hard down on him. He winced.

"Say it!" she growled at him, her head lowered to one of his ears.

"I am weak," he whispered.

"Louder," she growled.

"I'm weak!" he almost yowled. Anything to get her to leave him alone.

"Good," she purred. She slowly took her paw off of his chest. Her claws were red with blood. His chest was matted and sticky.

"You can make it up to me," she meowed to him, turning away to lick her paw. He stayed on the ground behind her. He knew better than to move.

_Good_, Eveningbreeze thought. He still did remember. He didn't even try to tend to his wounds.

"How?" he whispered.

"Oh," she purred, "by doing one small thing for me."

She waited and he nodded. Stoneheart knew that if he didn't agree she would do worse to him and probably would get Fernstripe to join in.

Eveningbreeze grinned as he nodded. It would all work perfectly now. He would take Snaketail back to the area so Deepforest could ambush him. Snaketail had to trust Stoneheart after the warning. It would be the perfect bait. And the perfect punishment for Stoneheart. The gray tom would see the cat he tried to save killed. And there was nothing he could do about it.

It was almost too easy. Things were finally coming together. Especially after the outsiders came. Needlefur, Darkfire, and Fallingpaw could probably be blamed for the murder. How else could it be explained? Needlefur wanted revenge for being rejected, and Darkfire was still a murderer. Everything would work out.

"Get up," she ordered.

Stoneheart slowly did, keeping a wary eye on her. He didn't lick his chest.

"We're hunting. So catch something," she ordered.

He nodded and walked away, trying to hide the pain.

She smiled and then went to hunt. Later tonight she'd go see Deepforest. He would be pleased.

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze came back for the first time after the failed trap. Her sneeze alerted me. there was a cat outside. The smell of fox, hid which cat. I froze, waiting. Then I heard it.

"Psst," she hissed.

"Yes?" I asked, smoothly as if I hadn't been worried at all. My head popped out of the abandoned fox den to face her. I quickly got out. My fur was very dusty from being underground and as I walked to her over the snow, it fell out of my fur. She didn't seem to notice.

"I punished the traitor, the one who told," she reported. Then she grinned. "He'll do as I ask now."

"That's good. But I thought he was supposed to do that anyway." I wondered who we were talking about. I suppose it didn't matter. Then I recalled the only other tom besides me was her brother. So the scardey cat had betrayed us. I was surprised. I thought Fernstripe would have done it. She could have done it just to get back at me. I suppose she was a bit more loyal than I gave her credit for.

Eveningbreeze glared at me as she meowed, "He can be mouse-brained at times, but yes, he follows what I tell him even if I have to be forceful at times."

"But now no more mistakes?"

"None," she smiled again. Her fangs gleamed in the moon light. I noticed how beautiful she really was. It was strange in all this time I'd never thought romantically about her, but this one night, my thoughts seemed to stray. She had a great build, but a bad attitude. I'd never had any relationship with her other than a business one. It made me wonder who she wanted as a mate, but my heart was already taken by another she-cat who didn't even realize it yet.

"Be at the trap after the Gathering. The deputy will be brought," she meowed.

I nodded, but I still wasn't certain. What made her think this whole thing would work? Why wait so long? The Gathering was more than a half moon away.

"Oh, he trusts the traitor now," Eveningbreeze explained. "And when we attack after the Gathering, that will give him enough time to think the threat is passed."

I started smiling with her now. That made sense. After the Gathering, no one would worry about traps at all.

"And then we will be in charge," I meowed, thinking that after Eveningbreeze was made deputy, Kinkstar would go really soon.

She nodded to me.

"I have a new plan," she told me.

"What?" I was intrigued. I hoped it wasn't totally different. I mean it wasn't like I had a lot of time with me. I was starting to get bored and I was thinking about going back over the mountain in greenleaf. We had to have the plan done by then.

"We won't just have ShadowClan," she whispered, "but the whole lake. I think I might find help in ThunderClan."

I was surprised. Then I was pleased. Yes, take over ThunderClan and then the lake. That would be more cats, and most of all, if me and Eveningbreeze just ruled ShadowClan and ThunderClan, Fallingpaw would be mine.

**-Memory-**

_The tom took many side paths. He didn't walk in a straight line at all. We had to curve with him. He just seemed to be wandering, not in any big hurry. He napped a lot. We found the places where he slept. I felt deep inside that we were getting closer._

_The second day after our mother's murder and the scent trail was getting stronger. Of course the clouds kept threatening us. They kept getting lower and lower and lower. . . I was afraid Rabbit's prediction of rain would be accurate. And when the rain came, we would never catch him then. The scent would be completely wiped out._

_Sky was tracking the murderer now. Her nose right up against the dirt. She sniffed at ferns and grass stalks too on occasion._

_"He rubbed himself here," she'd mew. "He made dirt here," she'd point out._

_The day grew later, and just before evening, the first sprinkles came down._

_"No," I protested, glaring up into the gloomily sky with my big green eyes. I guess I was hoping that would stop it. Of course that didn't do a thing._

_"He's going to stop too," Rabbit meowed quietly. Then he sighed. "But the trail to find him will be gone."_

_"Shut up," Sky spat at him with her eyes glaring._

_She forced her head down and went into a trot. I followed her. We had to catch up before the rain came. We hurried along, a bit less worried about losing the trail. The scent was strong. He was walking calmly, we raced to find him. Our only opposition now was the rain._

_Then we came to a creek._

_"Up or down? Up or down?" Sky demanded, staring at us._

_I flicked a tail for Rabbit to look up stream. He sighed and slowly got to it. I motioned Sky to go down. And I hopped over the small stream and to the other side to search. I easily found the trail again._

_"Over here!" I yelled._

_Sky jumped over, Rabbit slouched his way across, looking tired._

_Sky ran past me, her nose down. She didn't care about Rabbit and at that point I decided I didn't either. I left him behind and hurried after my sister. The rain fell harder, pounding in between my shoulder blades. And the scent grew stronger._


	20. Chapter 19: Mysterious Tom

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my cool reviewers:_ VioletteRose, Emberheart0, _and _Moonriver of AirClan!

_Now _VioletteRose_ was asking some questions. I hope to answer a few:_

_First, name analyzing. What does 'breeze' mean? Why is Stoneheart called Stoneheart? That makes him sound cold when he's actually kind._

_Answer (and this isn't the same for every cat): 'breeze' means flighty. Eveningbreeze has ever changing moods hence, breeze. She is called 'evening' for her dark pelt. Stoneheart was called 'stone' for his gray fur and 'heart' because of his kindness. 'Heart' is kind or more emotional, thinks more of others._

_Second, the flashbacks. What in the world are they doing there in the middle of the story? Answer: The flashbacks do have relavance. They are Deepforest's memory of a time in his past. It has connection to Snaketail's death. You will see as you read on. It's like parallels that's all I can say. What happened then, happens again. History repeats. Blah blah blah._

_Hey VioletteRose, tell Eveningbreeze to stay at your house. She won't get into much trouble there. . .I think. ;)_

_Now, read on, and don't get too irritated by the brief flashbacks please. . . ._

* * *

**Chapter 19: Mysterious Tom**

One morning, Eveningbreeze got up early. She walked out of the den. The ground was covered in thick snow. She stepped on it, her paw's sinking in deep. This wasn't the first time she'd seen snow. Once, when she was a kit it had been her first leafbare, she and Fernstripe attempted to bury Stoneheart in the snow. He spent a whole night out, Snowbird worried sick about him. But when he came back in the morning, nothing at all was wrong with him. The packed in snow had kept him warm. Eveningbreeze remembered the memory and wondered why he hadn't just died then. Stoneheart was such a bother. If she didn't need him to lure Snaketail to the trap, she would have Fernstripe do away with him. He was such a liability. He might turn on her again at some point.

Kinkstar came out of her den. She spotted Eveningbreeze and walked over.

"Dawn patrol?" she asked.

Eveningbreeze shook her head.

"Well they're getting a late start," Kinkstar meowed, staring at the enclosed den.

"It is warm in there," Eveningbreeze answered. The cold air seemed to press around her thick fur. It was almost too much for her.

"And they are exhausted from all the patrols," Eveningbreeze continued.

Kinkstar nodded regretfully.

"Can I take Stoneheart and Fernstripe on a hunting patrol?" Eveningbreeze asked before Kinkstar could say something more.

Kinkstar nodded and smiled. "Thank you Eveningbreeze. Maybe you and your siblings will be done by the time the dawn patrol gets up."

Eveningbreeze let her own smile light on her face in real amusement. Yes, that was probably true.

"You and your siblings will go to the Gathering," Kinkstar told her with a nod and then went over to the medicine cat den. Eveningbreeze watched her for a while, wondering what was wrong, and then went back into the warriors den.

She quietly nudged Stoneheart and Fernstripe awake.

"We're going hunting," she told them.

Stoneheart sighed as he got up. Fernstripe looked excited. They both started stretching. Eveningbreeze watched them and as she did, she saw that they were very thin. She looked around and saw that all of her Clan mates were thin. Leafbare was hitting them hard. Then she noticed one cat who didn't look as terrible as the others. Brownfeather. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. He was sleeping soundly and he was supposed to be on the dawn patrol. He wasn't taking care of his Clan.

Eveningbreeze walked over and whacked him on his head. He jerked awake. Confusion was on his face.

"Up you slug," Eveningbreeze ordered her teeth bared. "You're late for dawn patrol."

Brownfeather looked horrified and guilty all at the same time. He scrambled to his feet, bumping a few other cats. They flinched as they woke up. Brownfeather didn't notice as he raced out of the den.

Stoneheart watched the tom pass, pity on his face. Fernstripe looked amused. Eveningbreeze knew her brother thought she wasn't being nice to Brownfeather, but she didn't think he was nice to her. Brownfeather didn't ever pay attention to her anymore and he was letting down his Clan by meeting with that ThunderClan cat! She could treat him badly because of that.

Eveningbreeze walked back to her siblings as the rest of the cats slowly got up. She twitched her shoulder and tail at the same time. Her siblings acknowledged with one raised paw. They were off. As they left the den, Eveningbreeze saw Brownfeather glaring at her from the entrance. He'd figured out she'd tricked him.

As she passed, she hissed quietly at him, "Get more sleep at night will you?"

His eyes widened in shock. She turned away from him and led her brother and sister from the camp. It was time to hunt for her Clan, and perhaps she would meet with Deepforest. There was the Gathering to look forward to after all.

_**-Line-**_

"Our prey is going missing," Leopardstar meowed. "We know it has to be a thief. We warn whoever it is to stop."

Eveningbreeze stopped a smirk from spreading on her face. She was glad Deepforest had listened to her. He was now targeting other Clans. If they were all at war with each other, they wouldn't notice ShadowClan troubles at all, and after she was leader of ShadowClan, she could offer help to these other Clans. She could help them conquer the Clan that they thought was thieving. She would be ruler of the lake in no time.

Eveningbreeze scowled as she realized Brownfeather wasn't around. He'd said he was making dirt, but this was far longer than making dirt would take. Her eyes strayed over to ThunderClan. She didn't see the tabby she-cat that had stolen Brownfeather's affection. She hoped the little thing hadn't come to the Gathering at all, but she had a bad feeling that Fallingpaw had and that the two of them were meeting. She could have yowled in annoyance.

Onestar reported more prey loss and four new warriors: Cricketspring, Fadepelt, Silverfoot, Goldhead. Eveningbreeze twitched her tail, uninterested. More warriors, more enemies.

Firestar meowed something about a death of some Hazeltail during a battle with WindClan. RiverClan and ThunderClan hissed at the long-legged Clan. Firestar continued announcing his three new warriors: Frostshine, Nightshade, and Fallingsnow. Eveningbreeze's eyes narrowed. Fallingsnow. The little tramp was a warrior now. Brownfeather was certainly her mate by this point.

And then Kinkstar started to speak.

"I demand the return of one of my warriors," she meowed.

"Who?" Leopardstar asked, confused.

The Clans below murmured to each other, wondering what she was talking about. Eveningbreeze wondered as well. What was going on? She looked at her Clan mates they seemed perplexed. They weren't missing anyone.

"Firestar," Kinkstar meowed, turning to the ginger warrior. "I'd like for you to return Needlefur to me."

"He's not mine to return," Firestar meowed.

Needlefur. Eveningbreeze looked over just as Brownfeather returned. She could see Needlefur in the crowd of ThunderClan and RiverClan cats. He was next to Darkfire again.

"He is here," Kinkstar meowed. She looked right at him.

Eveningbreeze wondered what would happen. What was her leader doing?

"Yes," Firestar meowed.

"Then he is coming back with me."

"No," a defiant voice answered her.

Needlefur stood up from beside Darkfire, a hard look on his face. Eveningbreeze was surprised. He'd been so broken before when Kinkstar cast him out. When had he changed to this angry cat?

"You are coming back," Kinkstar hissed at him.

Eveningbreeze looked up at her and then back down at Needlefur. It was like two squirrels fighting, she thought. One did something and then the other.

"I am not," he growled. "You didn't want me before. Why should I go back to ShadowClan? I am not leaving Redstrike, even for your forgiveness," he spat out.

"Don't argue here," Kinkstar meowed at him. "This is a Gathering. And you wanted to be with us remember?"

"Then what about Darkfire?" Needlefur growled. "He was a ShadowClan cat as well. You aren't telling him to come back."

_He has a point,_ Eveningbreeze thought.

"He didn't ask to," Kinkstar defended.

Needlefur gave a cold laugh.

"I'm not coming back, Kinkstar. I don't care if you banish me. I'm a cat of Summerheat Camp and my only leader is Raven. You can't tell me what to do."

"You wanted to talk to me didn't you?" Kinkstar growled. She was very angry now.

All of the cats were silent, listening to them argue. Everyone was intrigued by the whole situation. How would this turn out? Would Needlefur have to come back to ShadowClan?

"Now I want to talk," Kinkstar continued.

"And I don't want to listen," he growled back. The fur along his spine was raised with his anger.

"By StarClan you will!" Kinkstar yowled.

She stood up ready to jump off of her branch. She looked as if she was going to come down to get Needlefur, to drag him off the island. Eveningbreeze noticed Tigerheart and Snaketail get up. They would help their leader if they had to. She sighed and got ready to do the same. For all she knew this would become a battle anyway.

"Save this for another time," interrupted Kestrelflight, the medicine cat of WindClan. "The Gathering is not meant for personal matters. StarClan is not pleased."

Eveningbreeze and a few other cats looked up. Some thick clouds were heading for the full moon. If they hid the moon, the Gathering would be over.

"Needlefur," Darkfire meowed to his friend.

The other warrior reluctantly looked down at him.

"Do this at some other time. If Kinkstar really wants to talk to you, she can send a patrol to speak with Firestar," the dark warrior meowed.

Eveningbreeze could tell it was pointedly meant to be at Kinkstar. Many cats called an agreement.

"Fine," Kinkstar spat. "This Gathering is over."

She jumped from her branch and stalked away. Eveningbreeze rushed forward with her Clan to surround her in a tight bunch. As they walked past ThunderClan, everyone glared at Needlefur.

As they left over the fallen tree, Eveningbreeze tilted her ears back. She didn't think it was safe leaving all of their enemies behind them. Who knew what they'd plan against ShadowClan. But as long as they were distracted . . . It was time to start the plan. Her eyes centered on her brother as he bounded ahead along the lake shore. It was time for him to lead Snaketail to his doom.

**-Memory-**

_The rain came furiously down. We had to hide under a thick rhododendron bush to escape the torrent. The raindrops ran down the wide leaves, shaking them as small streams formed on the leavy curves. The ground quickly became muddy on the outside of our temporary nest. We huddled together in a tight bundle, hiding from the rainstorm and keeping warm._

_"We'll never find him now, will we?" Sky meowed quietly. She sounded utterly sad. Her blue eyes didn't shine with their usual luster._

_"We will," I tried to encourage her, my head on top of her belly. It rose with every breath. The motion was very soothing. It reminded me of Hawthorn, and as I was reminded of her, my throat constricted. For the first time since her death, I was actually sad. I wasn't angry, searching for her killer, I was actually mourning her. I had a feeling Sky was doing the same._

_"We would have never found him anyway," Rabbit meowed._

_He lay opposite from us along the length of my body. Sky kicked him in the head with a back foot. He turned his head and snarled at her._

_"Stop it," I told them._

_They ignored me. Sky got up, dumping my head onto the damp ground. My teeth clicked together. Rabbit sprang up, leaving my side cold. He jumped over me. Sky hit him with her white front paws. Her claws hit his cheeks._

_Rabbit winced in pain, but he rushed forward, pounding his head in her chest. Sky stumbled back. He rushed her again, forcing her out into the rain. I huddled under the bush as I watched them fight. They twisted on the ground, getting muddy. Rabbit had a hold of Sky's front paw, and she was trying to get at his throat. I could only watch. I didn't want them fighting, but what was I supposed to do?_

_Finally, I couldn't stand the shrieks of pain anymore. I slipped away out of the bush. I left them fighting. It didn't matter anymore. They weren't helping Hawthorn. They were just hurting themselves. I alone had to find the killer. I walked into the rain. The large drops of water covered my fur, making runnels to the ground. My dark tabby fur became almost black. I knew I didn't stand out much in the gray day. My fur only shone up as I passed green bushes, ferns, and mounds of grass._

_I didn't have a destination. I just walked. I walked in the direction Hawthorn's killer had kept on for the last few hours. It was almost night now and I knew I had to stop. The killer had probably long since stopped. He was probably warm somewhere._

_I walked, my ears and tail down. Why did my family have to be torn apart so abruptly? I let memories of Hawthorn come to me. As she taught me to hunt a mouse, as she played hide-and-track with me and my siblings, and last of all, the morning before she died. Her eyes had sparkled. She told us she had a surprise for us and she'd show us after she came back with Rabbit's herbs. We were excited and waited for a long time before actually going to find her._

_"Hey!"_

_The voice startled me. My paws slid on the mud. My chest hit the ground. I got up as quickly as I could, trying to find who'd done that. Who was trying to get my attention?_

_I spotted the eyes beneath anther bush. I stared._

_"Get out of the rain! Do you want to get sick? Come 'ere."_

_I hesitated, but after awhile I realized I was cold. I quickly joined the other cat. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw my companion. It was a ginger tom with faint brown stripes on his body. He had a ring of white fur around one eye, and that eye was green. His other was blue. I stared at him a while. He stared at me._

_"What were you doing out there?" he asked._

_"Walking," I answered stiffly._

_I suddenly discovered that my nose was running. I wiped one paw over it. My face got muddy. I grimaced._

_"It's a bit to wet to be walking," he meowed, amused._

_"I don't care."_

_I turned away from him and curled up. I didn't want to talk. I wasn't going to tell him my problems. It didn't matter anyway what my siblings did. I wasn't ever going to see them again. They could kill each other for all I cared._

_I didn't notice when I slipped into sleep._

_**-end-**_

Eveningbreeze came to me the day after the Gathering. It was early, early morning and I could barely even see her with the faint light from my den entrance. I groggily looked at her as she brushed my face with her tail. She looked down at me, her eyes excited. Her body twitched as for once in a long time she was actually very happy.

"Today," she told me. "This is the perfect time. Go to the border. Stoneheart will lead Snaketail to the spot after the dawn patrol. Be there."

She quickly left the den to go find something to do so she wouldn't be pegged with being the murderer. I started to close my eyes, and to drift off again. I was considering not getting up at all. I'd been dreaming good dreams. I wanted to slip back into them. I didn't want to have to worry about Snaketail right now. Not so early in the morning.

I curled up, my paws over my head. I'd almost gone back into my dreams of standing on a cloud and talking to a cat made of stars that oddly looked like my mother when my heart jumped. I was suddenly awake as what Eveningbreeze had said clicked in my head. I was supposed to be out there. After Snaketail was gone, everything would start happening. If I missed this opportunity there probably wouldn't be another.

I stood up as fast as I could. My head swam as I got dizzy. Then my eyes cleared. I stretched, my rump hitting the low den ceiling, and then hurried out of my warm den. My paws crunched on thick snow as I got out. I was glad none of it had gotten into my den. It would have been hard to clean out. I would have gotten really dirty. Once I was outside of my den, I could see how bright it was with all of the snow. The cold air woke me up all the way and my paws pricked with the sudden sharp ice crystals. I quickly left my small territory.

I didn't stop as I went to the area the trap was set. When I got there, the sun was just starting to light up the lake water. I could see the bright, yellow shining ripples as they went outward. I turned away and sat down after finding my hiding spot. It was a bush that had dead leaves hanging off of it. My only real cover was the thick branches and vines around it. I tried to calm my ragged breath which came out white. I stared at it awhile as I waited. Suddenly my stomach growled.

Well, the dawn patrol wasn't back yet. I decided to go hunting. I didn't want to hunt in ShadowClan because that would probably alert Snaketail to the danger or at least he would look for whoever stole the prey instead of just letting me jump him. So I did the last thing I could do in such short notice. I went into ThunderClan and started hunting.

**-Memory-**

_I woke up late in the night. The rain had stopped and only the last of it was dripping off of the leaves of the high trees to the ground with _piping _noises. But that wasn't what woke me up. It was the sound of somecat calling my name that awoke me. The sound was very faint, but I knew they were calling for me._

_I looked around in the darkness. My ginger companion was still with me. He was deep asleep, snoring, and twitching. I watched him for a while where he lay. He hadn't heard the noise. I curled up again. I wasn't going to answer them._

_"Deepforest!"_

_They were getting closer. I ignored them. They didn't need to find me those two squirrel-heads. They'd fought, they'd shown me how much they'd cared. Hawthorn didn't matter to them anymore. I wasn't so sure she mattered to me. After this night, I didn't know what I'd do. The trail of Hawthorn's killer had to be gone by now. He was probably out of my range of searching or hiding out. I was sure we'd - I'd never find him now. I might as well go home to my territory. Then I remembered. That was also my siblings territory. I couldn t go back there unless I wanted to be with them. Which I didn't. So I had to find my own place. I wondered how long this tom would let me stay with him. Perhaps he'd only saved me from the rain._

_"Deepforest!" they called._

_Their voices were getting faint again. I sighed and curled up. It was time to sleep. I could wait for morning._

_-**end-**_

I didn't go far over the border to hunt. Just enough so that I could catch something. After eating my vole there I quickly went back over the border. As I went over, I almost bumped into a ShadowClan warrior. It was just their only apprentice and he wasn't paying much attention. He was trying to stalk a bird. He got close, but then the jay took off in a flutter of wings. I remained frozen even as Acornpaw spat out harsh words. The black and gray warrior with the brown spots, which made him almost looked tortoiseshell, stalked off, his tail thrashing in anger.

I let out a breath of relief. He'd almost caught me. I sighed again and hurried over the border. I hid under the bush with the toadstools. Their scent wasn't very strong. In fact, They looked like they were dying. They'd survived so far because of the bush's protection, but as leafbare went on they'd die. I stared at them a while considering, and my mind went back to another time when I hid under a bush as the sun rose around me.


	21. Chapter 20: The Deputy's Death

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 20: The Deputy's Death**

_The sun rose and the area under the bush filled with golden light. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see a violet flower hanging off of a vine right in front of my face. Its scent a sweet smell to me. I breathed in deep. My nose wasn't running anymore. My fur was also dry, but still caked with mud. I sat up and started to clean it off._

_I noticed that the tom was awake. He opened his different colored eyes and looked over at me._

_"What's your name?" the ginger tom asked me._

_"What's yours?" I challenged._

_I didn't want to say my name in case he'd heard my siblings last night. He might make me go back to them and I didn't want to._

_"Forest," he answered._

_I narrowed my eyes at him. He had to be lying. He didn't look anything like a 'forest'. He wasn't green or brown or whatever. His name was probably Sunshine and he didn't want to tell me. I suppose I could respect that, but because he was lying to me, I was going to lie to him._

_"I'm Vine," I told him as the first name that popped into my head._

_"Vine?" the tom looked at me skeptically._

_"For my stripes," I explained._

_He looked at me closer._

_"Oh," he meowed. "I didn't notice them last night. I thought you were dark brown."_

_I shrugged. He looked the same this morning. Still ginger, still with faint brown stripes and he still had that white ring around one of his multicolored eyes._

_"What are you doing out this way?" I asked him._

_"Traveling," he meowed. "I always do. I pass though areas, never stopping. How about you? You're a bit young to actually be roaming."_

_"I just started," I answered, my fur bristling._

_"Why?" he challenged. "Argument with Mother?"_

_I snarled at him and started to leave the bush._

_"Hey, wait," Forest meowed, standing up. "Don't leave in such a hurry, young one."_

_I stopped, though I felt I shouldn't have. I should have kept going, but something inside of me wanted to hear what he would say._

_"I don't mean anything by it. If you want to leave the nest, I can't stop you and if you feel it's right it's your decision. Me, I started young too. How old are you?"_

_"Seven moons," I meowed._

_His brow rose. "That's younger than I thought. You're larger than your age."_

_I nodded. My brother seemed older too. Sky was lean like an adult cat and didn't look anything kit-like. We'd grown up fast with Hawthorn. I'd heard stories from passing cats just like Forest of kits that were still kit-like until they reach twelve moons. I felt scornful of them. Why did they stay young so long? Did they lead such an easy life?_

_"Well, Vine," he said my name with a smile as if he didn't believe it, "You can come with me if you want. I can teach you the ins and outs of a roamer."_

_"No thank you," I told him stiffly, though inside I felt glad he would be willing to do that and I really longed to go with him to have company._

_There was something about him though that sent me off. Now that I was closer to him, there was something that seemed to warn me. It wasn't that he was being threatening, far from it, there was just an odd feeling about him. A scent perhaps . . ._

_"If you're sure now?" Forest asked, concerned and a little disappointed. Perhaps he'd been alone for so long that a little company would be nice._

_"Have you been here before?" I abruptly asked him. It felt as if I'd met him somewhere._

_"I come every late greenleaf to this area," he answered._

_Then I hadn't met him before._

_"And sometimes in between," he continued._

_I scowled. That wasn't an answer._

_"I'm sorry, but I can't stay," I meowed. I really didn't want to meet up with my siblings. They had to know I was near by. No one could have gone far in that storm and so they probably were near by. I had to leave before they got up._

_"Well," Forest sighed. "Go with the sun."_

_I nodded, assuming that was some sort of a good bye, and left. My pelt brushed up against the fronds of the large bush, getting water along my back. My paws stepped into thin mud. I looked around. There were still puddles everywhere, but the new sun made everything look cheery. There were no more clouds in the sky. Today was a good day to start a journey._

_I picked a direction at random. I decided to follow the sun. I didn't get far when I was ambushed._

_**-end-**_

I waited. The dawn patrol had been by, so where was Stoneheart and Snaketail? Sun high was coming quickly. I shifted with impatience. I wanted to get this over with. The time had come. Would Snaketail back out on this planned meeting again?

I flexed my claws, preparing. I closed my eyes as I envisioned how it would go. Snaketail would be walking along. He would be distracted by a mouse. While he stalked it, I would creep from my bush. When I was directly behind him, I would pounce. After landing on his back, my claws would scratch his throat. It would all be over in an instant. And then I'd go back to my den and I could get more sleep. After that, I'd just have to wait for news from Eveningbreeze. Soon after, I would be in charge of ShadowClan. I would become Deepstar.

I knew I had a contented smile on my face as I imagined that. I suppose this was something I wished for more than anything else in my life. No only to get nine lives and meet the warrior ancestors I had so many questions for, but also so other cats would know that I was their leader and they had to follow me. If they did, then no cat would hate me and want to get rid of me like Mudpaw had done and maybe Fallingpaw would be impressed with me. I could hardly wait.

Then I heard a rustle. There was the crunching of snow underpaw. My eyes opened and my ears twitched. I flared my nostrils as I tried to pick up the scent. Was it him? I heard the voices as they walked by.

"If there's so much prey, I wonder where it all went," some cat said. I didn't recognize his voice.

"Maybe it left. That was a whole half moon ago." That was Stoneheart's voice.

It had to be them. My muscles tensed in anticipation.

_Come on, Stoneheart,_ I meowed in my mind, _bring him here_.

I heard their voices grow fainter. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. He was going to mess it up all over again. I sighed, thinking mean things about Eveningbreeze's brother. I started to creep from my bush when suddenly, a gray cat came near to my hiding spot.

"He's waiting," Stoneheart meowed, his eyes lowered as he refused to look at me. He wasn't going to even try to find me.

"He's in a clearing," Stoneheart finished. He walked off, looking incredibly sad as if this was the hardest thing he could ever do. I rased an eye. That was really odd. But he'd done his job. I put him out of my mind and went tracking Snaketail down.

**-Memory-**

_Rabbit was in front of me. I looked up in shock and pulled away as he rushed for me. His brown tabby fur a blur as he came from the other side of the clearing._

_"Get away from me!" I hissed, scared that he was going to hurt me too._

_He paused in surprise. As he did, I got to look him over. His fur hung in clumps and blood ran down his face and legs. Sky had torn him up good. Then Sky came over. She had been behind me. Now she came to the front._

_"Where have you been?" she scolded. "We searched all night for you."_

_Her white fur shown her wounds more prominently. Even her long fluffy tail was hanging at an odd angle. Rabbit must have broken it, but through their pain, they'd come for me. I wondered when they noticed I was gone and how long it took for them to work together to get me. Probably a long time which was why I'd only heard them late last night._

_I glared at both of them, pushing the thought out of my head._

_"What's wrong?" Rabbit asked. His blue eyes looked at me with concern._

_"You," I spat at both of them. "If you hadn't gotten into that fight, we might have found the killer. We would have been able to work together. Instead you too fight and don't care what Hawthorn would think of you."_

_Rabbit and Sky looked down guiltily._

_"We didn't mean anything by it," Sky meowed quietly. "It was just hard."_

_"We worked things out," Rabbit meowed. "We aren't going to fight again."_

_I wasn't sure I believed them. They probably would the moment I decided I'd go with them again._

_Sky could tell my reluctance._

_"What are you going to do then, huh? What will you do without us?"_

_"Be a roamer," I told her. "I'm going to visit far away places that we've only heard about."_

_"You'd get lost on your first day out," Rabbit told me._

_"Would not," I defended myself._

_Sky grinned at me._

_"You don't realize do you?" she asked._

_"What?" I asked, disliking her cheerful behavior._

_"You're headed back home."_

_That stopped me. So the rising sun was home? Why hadn't I realized that? I quickly turned around._

_"Wait, wait," Rabbit meowed, coming back to stand next to me. "Just come back with us. We tried. That's all that matters. We tried to find the killer. It didn't work. We can go home. If the killer ever comes through again, we can deal with him. For now we have to give up. We tried our best. We can do nothing more."_

_I glanced at Sky for her opinion. She nodded her head. I was surprised she didn't argue with Rabbit more. Finally I sighed. I guess they really were back together.  
She smiled at me and came near. She was going to bump her head into me when suddenly her nose widened. Her eyes narrowed as she thrust her nose into my fur. I looked at her oddly. What was she doing? She stayed that way for a few moments._

_"Where did you go last night?" she demanded, pulling her head out of my fur._

_"Under a bush," I meowed._

_"With who?" she growled impatiently._

_"A tom-" I got out before she interrupted._

_"That's him," she spat. "That's his scent."_

_My eyes widened as I looked at her in shock. Forest was the killer? Forest was the one that killed my mother? I'd been so close and had been watching him as he slept but I'd never realized. First my running nose had blocked his scent, then the violet flower, and finally I'd known something was wrong as I'd left him this morning, but I hadn't known what. Now I knew. And as I realized, anger filled my heart. Anger at myself for being bird-brained but mostly angry at Forest. He'd lied to me. He hadn't said anything. He had to have known. He'd played with me. 'Arguement with Mother' indeed!_

_"Where is he?" Sky demanded. Her blue eyes looked at me with intensity._

_"I'll show you," I growled. I turned away. The hunt was back on._

_**-end-**_

I quickly found Snaketail in the clearing Stoneheart had told me about. He looked like he was trying to scent something over the ground. I could see a few tracks of squirrels and birds scattered on the snow, but there wasn't anything now. I crept forward, slowly easing my body from the bushes as I used the shadow walking techniques Eveningbreeze had taught me. I got close to him. I could almost see every hair on his dark brown pelt and tabby tail. I was close. I started to smell his scent of pine. And beneath that was something that reminded me of Eveningbreeze.

That gave me pause. I was actually hunting a Clan mate of hers and she was okay with it. I suddenly wondered if I was okay with it. Everything was real in that instant. All the planing that had taken moons was finally happening, but now I had to prepare myself for this. I'd only killed once. How was that supposed to prepare me for this? I'd had my siblings help! They weren't with me now. I was on my own.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deep._ Help me StarClan_, I sighed. Then I opened them and sprang.

**-Memory-**

_The tom was still under the bush when we got back. He was there eating a bird he'd caught. The feathers were scattered inside and out of his one night nest. We found the tom munching on bones. He really hadn't been quick at all. He didn't know that we were hunting him down. As I entered the bush again, his eyes lit up._

_"Back again, young one?" he purred. "Good. It's nice to have a traveling companion once and a while. A cat needs friends."_

_"Right," I nodded. Though inside I seethed. I wanted to pounce on him now, but the plan held me back. Rabbit and Sky had to get into position._

_"Did you eat yet?" Forest asked me._

_I nodded, though I lied. My stomach growled, contradicting me._

_Forest smiled at me. "Catch something before we leave. We have a long day ahead of us."_

_I nodded and looked like I was about to stand. That was when Sky burst through the far end of the bush, her light pelt like lightning in the gloom._

_**-end-**_

He'd heard me. Snaketail turned around at the last moment. Instead of landing on his back, I landed square on top of him. He crumbled beneath me and my sudden weight. Because of my shock, I didn't have time to react. But Snaketail was ready. He'd been in more battles than me.

He pushed off of the ground, flinging me away. In that instant he could have run and if he had, he probably would have lived, but he'd been challenged. He wasn't going to back away from a fight with a rogue. He snarled as he looked at me, his eyes flashing. He was in a crouch as he assessed me.

Then he lunged for me. I got up from the snow and instead of backing away, I went for him. But as he came in contact with me, I sprang straight into the air. He was under me. My back legs landed on top of his face. He went down with a huff and I tripped, landing in the snow again, sending it scattering. They glittered in the sunlight.

He was on top of me, his face streaming tears. He clawed me as I curled up tight, trying to protect my face, neck, and belly.

**-Memory-**

_"Hawthorn?" Forest asked as she suddenly stopped in front of him. His eyes opened wide with shock as he looked her over._

_"No," Sky answered coldly as she stared at him. "Her daughter, you monster. These are my brothers."_

_I stood up. Rabbit came from the side, pushing through the bushes in a soft rustle. We had Forest surrounded. He looked at us as sudden understanding filled his face. He looked between Rabbit and Sky repeatedly._

_"Oh, by the Clouds that Cover the Sun," he muttered, as he stared at them. It almost sounded guilty._

_"Now you know," Sky purred, her face a mask of cruel enjoyment, "Now you pay."_

_She lunged for him. I took his back legs, Rabbit his front from behind so Forest couldn't turn his head to bite him. Sky took the attackers position, putting her fangs into his belly. He howled in pain._

_As Sky released him, her claws came out and she dragged along his side. Forest tried to curl up to protect himself. He tried to get small so we couldn't hurt him, but though we were young, my brother and I were strong. We held him down while Sky administered punishment. Then she was soon done. His wounds were anything but life threatening, but he was still in pain._

_Sky looked over at me and then at Rabbit. Rabbit was frowning and he looked a little sick. Sky turned away from him._

_"Your turn," she meowed at me._

_-**end-**_

It was my turn. I suddenly opened up from my ball. Snaketail wasn't expecting that. He'd been aiming for the back of my neck, but as I came out of my curl, he hit the back of my head with his claws. Blood spurted, covering the snow even more and filling my mind with pain. I fought through it and I stood up, facing Snaketail. I forced him back away from me and onto clean snow. Then I pounced for him. I landed as much on him as I could and we became a bundle of writing fur. Shrieks filled the air. I used back claws and front claws. I used teeth.

As I bit him hard, he let out a loud yowl of pain. I knew I had to end it quickly. Some cat had to have heard that. He forced his head down and pulled me off. Eventually I ended up under him again, but this time, my teeth were in his throat. A gurgle came from his open mouth and he looked at me in shock.

**-Memory-**

_Sky took my place and held Forest down even though his back legs bucked to kick her off. We all ignored that. I approached his face. By now I'd known he'd paid. It was time to end it. I stared into his different colored eyes as I opened my jaws. My teeth sank into his throat. Warm blood filled my mouth as I bit hard. A blood-filled gurgle came from his open mouth. As I pulled away, he looked at me in shock. Slowly the light in his eyes faded. The ginger tom was no more. He didn't even breathe out his last. I had stolen his breath from him. I had stolen his life._

_I didn't feel bad about it though. As I stared at the tom at my feet, I suddenly felt relieved. It was all over. The hunt was over. Hawthorn had been avenged. There was no more tracking, no more searching, no more making false friends. It was finally over and I had done it. We had done it. I looked over at my siblings. Sky looked satisfied. She sat back, releasing Forest's stretched out legs, and started cleaning her claws. Rabbit looked at both of us, horror on his face and finally at Forest's body. He walked haltingly away and heaved dryly._

_Sky and I both ignored him. She stared at me and nodded. "You did great little brother. He definitely knew what hit him. He paid."_

_I smiled at her. Yes it had been worth it. Everything had been done. We could finally go back home._

_Before we left, I made sure Forest's body was covered with the violet flowers on the bush we'd slept under. So as he lay dead, their sweet sent would cover him. No cat would find his body or our scent. No cat would follow us back to our territory to hunt us as we hunted Forest. It was all over._

_My siblings and I stayed together after that. We stayed together for three seasons. And then we realized it was time to go our separate ways. Nothing held us together anymore. So during the next late greenleaf, I went over the mountains._

_-**end-**_

I released Snaketail's body. The light had gone out of his eyes, but he the last look on his face was one of pain and of surprise. I hung over him making sure he was dead. There was nothing. He'd gone onto StarClan.

_Keep him safe_, I whispered in my head. After the short prayer I backed away. My part was done. It was time to go. But as I backed away, my eyes still on Snaketail, I heard a clear voice.

"Brambleclaw?"

It was a voice I recognized well. It sent flutters through my heart, but at this time it was hard to feel anything but horror. She'd seen me murder Snaketail. Fallingpaw knew I was a murderer. I quickly backed away even more and then I turned and fled through the bushes. Their leaves and branches shaking in my passing.

As I ran, I heard her call the name again.

"Brambleclaw!"

It was a terrified, confused wail. She didn't know it was me. She didn't know that it was me, Deepforest, who'd done the deed. And as I ran away, I felt relief. I had not been caught, but then I felt a bit of pity. She had to be the first to find the body. What would ShadowClan do with her?

* * *

**Here's my contribution for the week. Have a happy Halloween all of you people that celebrate it!**


	22. Chapter 21: After the Kill

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter  
Disclaimer 2: Do not own song_

_Thanks to my reviewers:_ Moonriver of AirClan, Warriors-Skywing, VioletteRose, Emberheart0,_ and_ Icethroat21. _You people are wonderful!_

_Forest Synopsis. Who is Forest? Where did he come from? Well, I'll answer your questions. No, he's not a Tribe cat. When he says 'by the Clouds that Cover the Sun' it's his version of swearing. And when he says 'go with the sun' it's a form of goodbye. He worships the sun, so things happening with it is just his way of saying 'great StarClan!' Okay, Forest's story is that he's a roamer. He and Hawthorn were mates, Deepforest, Sky and Rabit his kits. They just didn't know it. Hawthorn was going to show them their father because she knew he would be coming by soon. Remember, he said that he came every late greenleaf (and times between seasons), so she knew he was coming. She might have also scented him. She was excited for that, but when she went out to find him he, killed her. Why? because he thought she had a different mate. Sky looked like Hawthorn and Forest saw Sky with Rabbit, another male cat and thought Hawthorn was seeing someone else. He got jealous and killed her. He didn't realize that he had any kits until the moment Sky told him Hawthorn was their mother. That shocked him and gave the kits time to kill him. Deepforest was named for Forest. There, questions solved._

_To _Moonriver of AirClan: _No I didn't mean to do that on purpose. I actually wanted at least one of the siblings to be nice so Rabbit got the part. That way you all didn't think they were crazy, mean cats. Someone had to be sane. They aren't supposed to be like Eveningbreeze's siblings at all, but if that was the way they turned out, no wonder Deepforest gets along with Eveningbreeze._

_Summery: Deepforest after reliving his past in his mind has killed Snaketail. Fallingsnow spotted him._

* * *

**Chapter 21: After the Kill**

I ran back to my den and dove into my fox hole. I hoped that if Fallingpaw followed me, she would pass by, not realizing where I'd gone. Not only did the smell of fox cover mine, but most cats didn't like going into other animal's nests. There was danger in doing that. Cats didn't want to be trapped underground with something that wanted to kill them. Luckily my den no longer had it's previous occupant. My heart pounded as I fled deeper inside into the darkness. The warmer air closing in around me.

Worry shot through me as I huddled in the farthest corner of the den. The second entrance, which I'd caved in some time ago so no one sneaked up on me, was nearby. I wished I hadn't destroyed it. I could have run up the mountain easily from there if I knew another cat entered the den. It would have been a great escape hole. No wonder foxes have them.

After a while, though, when I knew no cat was coming, I started to relax. My fur settled down and my heart slowed as I strained my ears to my only entrance. Nothing. I slowly crept forward through the dark. My whiskers and tail guiding me around the curves and into the light. No one. No other smell. I hesitated and then stuck my head out of the hole. The bright sunlight reflected off of the snow and blinded me. When my eyes recovered, I looked and saw nothing unusual. The pine tree branches covered in snow didn't move. There was not even a breeze. No one had come.

I sniffed the air, the cold numbing my nose quickly, but before that, the powerful smell of fox met my nose and something else. Something different from usual. I couldn't identify it. Normally I would have ignored it, and gone on with life, but after killing Snaketail and being spotted, I was nervous. I pulled my head into my den and hurried away. I couldn't get careless. I had to be careful and wait for Eveningbreeze to come to me and tell me everything was all right. Until then I had to stay near my den and hunt there, letting the fox smell hide me. But as I sat beneath, my mind rushing with what had happened that day, I realized the scent of fox wasn't at all strong anymore. I'd been underground for so long, the den had taken on my scent. I could barely make out the fox. Outside the scent was still there for an odd reason, probably because I didn't often stay near the entrance. I knew that Eveningbreeze had to become leader soon and take me into her Clan or every cat in the forest would know my territory.

I sighed, my chest rising and falling with impatience. Only after a while I began to feel my wounds. Snaketail had injured me good. I had scratches and bite-marks all over. The blood was starting to clot, but I had drying streaks matching my stripes along my sides. I settled down to wash it off.

My den wasn't so big and I was uncomfortable bunched up, my back hitting the roof as I tried to clean my belly and chest. I refused to go outside to clean however. I couldn't, not yet. Maybe tomorrow or later today. Eveningbreeze had to come first. I wanted to know that I'd succeeded and that she was deputy. I also wondered what ShadowClan would do with Fallingpaw who'd found Snaketail's body. And what of Brambleclaw, the cat she'd called? I suddenly knew she hadn't been alone. Fallingpaw had been on a patrol. ThunderClan had found the ShadowClan cat's body. Eveningbreeze's plan was working as she'd wanted. I had to admire her for that. If only the rest of it worked now.

**_-Line-_**

She was walking near the twoleg nest. She shouldn't have been alone, but she was just so tense and anxious she couldn't stand being with another cat. She'd had to be alone so she wouldn't attract attention and be asked questions. So she told Kinkstar she was going hunting and left. She hadn't been back to camp since dawn. She only caught one sparrow. The rest of the prey she was too distracted to catch or there weren't any.

Deepforest had to have succeeded by now! She just wanted to know. She glanced over in the direction of ThunderClan, all the way across ShadowClan territory. She longed to go over and see what was happening.

As Eveningbreeze walked, she became aware of a low breathing. Her hackles rose. She wasn't nervous yet, just wary. What was doing that? She crouched down and walked around some trees, her legs loose. She would either run or attack, depending on the threat. As the sound got weaker, she realized she'd passed the creature. Her ears swivelled to find the direction. The breathing was behind her.

Eveningbreeze turned around, her fur brushing against a low pine tree. Sap got caught in her dark gray pelt. She ignored it. This time as she crept along, she pinpointed the sound with her ears and followed them only not relying on sight at all. She noticed that the breathing was getting slower. And quieter. She might not be able to find the creature soon. Perhaps it was leaving. Then she saw him.

At first she thought it was Deepforest and wanted to rush out to get him, but as she froze, not sure if she wasn't being tricked, she saw that it was Brownfeather. He lay collapsed on the snow, bleeding. He looked half-dead. Eveningbreeze looked around for what had done this to him. Then she saw the trail. Brownfeather had dragged himself away from where injures had happened. The snow was crushed and blood streaked where he'd come from.

Eveningbreeze got nearer, her eyes darting around the forest covering, making sure that she wasn't walking into a trap. There was nothing. No attack came. Then she reached him and finally relaxed as she sniffed him over. The scent of fox was faint on his wet fur. Eveningbreeze was shocked. Had one fox done all this? It had to have a grudge on cats to do so. Dark tabby cats.

She tilted an ear. Had it been the one she and Deepforest chased from its den? She didn't know. She shook her head, it didn't matter. She had to take Brownfeather back to camp. He needed a medicine cat. She lowered herself and started to stick her head under his belly to get him on her back. As she touched him, he stopped breathing. Eveningbreeze's heart tightened. Had he died had he? She'd come too late.

Then Brownfeather coughed, blood coming out of his nose. She pulled away and saw his eyes opening. He blurrily stared at her, then his eyes slowly started to close again.

"No you don't," Eveningbreeze growled, nudging him again. "You can't die on me. Get up!"

Brownfeather opened his eyes again as she shoved her head under him. Her head was cold in the snow, the ice clinging to her thick fur but she still tried to get under him. Her neck strained as she tried to lift him onto her shoulders.

"I can't," Brownfeather mumbled.

Eveningbreeze puffed some more and finally pulled her head away. She panted. She just wasn't strong enough or careful enough to do this. Brownfeather was more aware though. He tried to roll onto his feet. Eveningbreeze hurried to help him, admiring that he was trying to get up though he was wounded almost to death. Finally after much struggle Brownfeather was on his feet. He leaned heavily on Eveningbreeze. She let his warm, sticky body press into her, happy that they were close again. It had been such along time since Brownfeather had relied on her. Now they started the long trek home. She couldn't move fast because he couldn't. As he took a long hesitant step, she did, always keeping him upright. After a long time they made it home. And what a sight met her eyes when they did.

Four ThunderClan cats and her Clan faced each other outside of camp, but Eveningbreeze's eyes were on what they'd brought. The body of Snaketail lay between the ThunderClan cats. So Deepforest had done his job and now ThunderClan was getting the blame. She loved how everything was going so perfect.  
As Eveningbreeze and Brownfeather came into view, Kinkstar asked, "What happened?"

"Fox," Brownfeather muttered. "I managed to fight it off."

"I found him," Eveningbreeze meowed with a shrug as if it were nothing. When Brownfeather recovered he would have to thank her. "He was passed out. He would have died if that fox came back."

She looked around at everyone and then once more at Snaketail's body. She let her jaw drop as if in shock.

"What happened here?"

"These ThunderClan cats brought back Snaketail," Kinkstar meowed coldly, her eyes flicking over to them. "They claim a dark tabby tom killed him. They came over our border because they heard fighting. Snaketail was dead by the time they got to him, but Fallingsnow saw the killer."

Fallingsnow. Eveningbreeze's eyes went over to the tabby she-cat. She glared at her. Fallingsnow'd seen Deepforest? Why did everything have to be ruined by the little brat?

Eveningbreeze slowly became aware of all the glares she was receiving in return. She looked around and her fur prickled. Her Clan was glaring at her. They knew? Horror filled her. They knew Deepforest was working with her!

"What?" Brownfeather coughed out.

Eveningbreeze glanced at him and then at everyone else. It slowly dawned on her. They weren't glaring at her, but at him. Brownfeather noticed too.

"I didn't," he meowed, slowly shaking his head, his eyes desperate. "You know I didn't."

In that moment Eveningbreeze backed away from him, a dark tabby tom. He could hardly keep himself up. She knew that she was betraying him. She knew Brownfeather hadn't done the deed and yet by her behavior she was joining her Clan, pretending that belief.

He looked away from Fallingsnow his eyes going to Eveningbreeze instead. They pleaded with her to explain. He knew she was his only hope, but Eveningbreeze firmly kept her mouth shut, trying to keep a smile off of her face. He could take the blame. She and Deepforest weren't caught after all.

As she left his side, Eveningbreeze realized she didn't love Brownfeather. She never had. She'd only felt possessive of him, never love. Her heart had never been his. It was Deepforest's. The one cat who'd stuck with her and helped her. The cat who smiled with her and enjoyed what she did. Brownfeather didn't interest her and hadn't since they were apprentices. She could easily give him up. He could be blamed and punished and Eveningbreeze would always remember him as the cat that died so her Clan could be strengthened. She could let him go without regret.

Eveningbreeze continued to stare warily at him as if suspicious. That he'd lied about the fox. Brownfeather looked terrified.

"Take these cats into camp," Kinkstar growled. "I want guards on Brownfeather, Stoneheart, and the ThunderClan cats. Keep them separate from each other. Take Snaketail's body into camp."

The ShadowClan cats swarmed forward. Eveningbreeze helped with Snaketail's body as Olivespot and Scorchtree grabbed Brownfeather and cautiously carried him into camp.

When they got inside, Eveningbreeze saw Dapplekit playing next to the nursery. As the cats came in, Dawncloud got closer to her kit. She didn't trust the ThunderClan cats. She wanted to keep her kit safe.

Brownfeather was taken into the medicine cat den and Eveningbreeze didn't see him again for the rest of the night. She was confident he would be dead before morning. Stoneheart, on the other paw, was brought before the Large Stump and in front of Kinkstar. Eveningbreeze was wary as they started to talk. What was going on?

She started to help clean Snaketail's body with the other cats. They figured they had the murderer and didn't need any more evidence. So they didn't look for a different scent on the body. Eveningbreeze hurried to clean the blood and fur off of the old deputy's paws. She had to make sure the strongest scent of Deepforest wasn't there. The rest would fade in a short while. She could easily smell him as she concentrated on the front paws. None of the other cats noticed. They were busy with Snaketail's face and back.

Eveningbreeze remained tense as she watched Stoneheart and Kinkstar. Her throat constricted as Kinkstar started. Eveningbreeze didn't trust her brother. Right now he could give her away.

"What happened?" Kinkstar demanded. "Tell me what happened when you went out this morning."

"We went hunting," Stoneheart gulped.

His fur twitched along his back in nervousness. He couldn't seem to look at Kinkstar Eveningbreeze felt relief when she realized he wouldn't tell the truth. He was going to lie for Eveningbreeze.

"We went near the border. I-I l-le-left him to go hunting on my own. When I came back to find him, I-I saw the ThunderClan cats carrying his body and came here to tell you," he continued.

Eveningbreeze knew she'd have to ask Fernstripe what had happened before she'd returned with Brownfeather. That was important to know. She might have to cover her tracks after all and warn Deepforest.

"Why didn't you hear the yelling?"

Kinkstar didn't let up on him. She stood over him, intimidating the gray tom. She wanted him to tell the truth and if she had to claw it out of him, she might.

Eveningbreeze was pleased, though, even as she glared at her brother, warning him. She knew her secret was safe for now. He couldn't give straight answers and that meant was suddenly a suspect in Snaketail's murder. Eveningbreeze was surely the farthest cat from anyone's mind.

"I-I don't know," Stoneheart mewed quietly. His tail was close to his body. His fear scent was permeating the camp.

Kinkstar bared her teeth. "You're lying to me. You're working with the murderer."

Stoneheart's eyes widened as he finally looked at his leader. It was an all too revealing gaze.

Eveningbreeze came to her brother's rescue. This was going too far. If Kinkstar continued, she might scare it out of Stoneheart. Eveningbreeze couldn't allow it. She sprang up from Snaketail's paws and hurried to her leader.

"Come now, Kinkstar," the dark she-cat tried to sooth. "He's just worried that's all. He knows the murder was still around after killing Snaketail. Brownfeather could have killed him as well. Look at him," she waved her tail at Stoneheart. "He's too scared and weak to be any help to a murderer."

She cast more suspicion on Brownfeather by throwing his name into the mix. Now if anyone realized he'd been on the opposite side of the territory, her plans would go wrong. But it wasn't likely anyone would go searching and for now he was still too weak and confused to tell anyone what he'd been through. He might be killed before he recovered. Then no one would know the truth.

"We'll still keep him under guard," the ShadowClan leader cautiously meowed, starting to believe Eveningbreeze. "Until he's ready to confess."

Stoneheart gulped again, his eyes darting between the two she-cats.

"Redsky," Kinkstar meowed, her mind made up.

Eveningbreeze felt relived. Kinkstar wouldn't press right now. And if Eveningbreeze could get to her brother, which she knew she could with Redsky guarding, she could tell Stoneheart what to say. He'd be protected against Kinkstar that way.

Redsky came over. He and Eveningbreeze shared a glance. She blinked at him telling him it was okay with her. He turned away and took Stoneheart to another side of camp.

Kinkstar waved her tail dismissively at Eveningbreeze and the she-cat hurried back to Snaketail. She had to finish cleaning Snaketail's paws off. Deepforest had to remain hidden.

The ShadowClan leader went over to the ThunderClan cats. Eveningbreeze kept half an ear on their conversation. The rest of the ShadowClan cats stayed silent as well, interested in what was going to happen.

"You can't keep us here," Brambleclaw meowed in strained politeness.

"We'll see," Kinkstar meowed quietly to him, her eyes narrowed. Then she turned her attention on Fallingsnow.

"We meet again," Kinkstar hissed. Her voice was low, but it was still threatening. "Tell me about what you saw."

"I was following Brambleclaw," Fallingsnow meowed quietly. Eveningbreeze hated the she-cats voice. So soft, so innocent and hurt. What a lie! She was a cat with hidden secrets. Secrets like Brownfeather.

"We were looking for Lightningwhisker," Fallingsnow meowed.

Eveningbreeze looked for who Lightningwhisker was. It was the black she-cat. She was sure of it. Eveningbreeze had seen the tom before and knew his name was Bumblethroat. Eveningbreeze also knew who Brambleclaw was so the black she-cat had to be Lightningwhisker. Eveningbreeze hesitated before looking back at Snaketail. She wanted to keep watching, but she had to clean off the scent quickly.

"Why was that?" Kinkstar interrupted Fallingsnow.

"We found bones," Brambleclaw answered for Fallingsnow. "Well, Bumblethroat and Lightningwhisker did. They figured it was the prey thief that was bothering WindClan and RiverClan. Bumblethroat came to get me while Lightningwhisker tried to track the thief."

Kinkstar listened to his explanation. She nodded for one of them to continue.

Brambleclaw took over so Fallingsnow didn't have to speak.

"By the time we got to the bones, Lightningwhisker was gone. That was when we heard a screech of pain. We were worried it was Lightningwhisker so we followed the sounds of fighting. I noticed that Lightningwhisker's scent wasn't where the fighting was so I followed it to her. Bumblethroat followed me, but Fallingsnow had gone to the fighting. I heard her calling my name, so I came to her. By then the fighting had stopped."

Eveningbreeze listened. She had to know what had happened. Deepforest wasn't badly wounded was he? She disliked that thought. She glanced at Snaketail's paw wondering if it would be foolish to bite it in revenge. He was dead so he couldn't feel it after all.

"I followed Brambleclaw over the border," Fallingsnow was meowing. "The blood started to cover his scent, but I thought he was going to where the yelling had come from. I stopped when I reached the clearing. There was Snaketail lying dead and a dark brown tabby stood over him. I thought it was Brambleclaw, but this tabby was covered in blood and scratches, and he was backing away. When I called Brambleclaw's name, he froze but then recovered and quickly ran away. It wasn't Brambleclaw."

"That's it?" Kinkstar demanded.

Fallingsnow nodded.

"We caught a glimpse of Stoneheart on our way back," Brambleclaw meowed.

Kinkstar glanced over her shoulder at the gray tabby tom. He looked down, unable to meet Kinkstar's eyes.

"We would like to go back now," Brambleclaw meowed after the short pause. "You have no need for us here since we are not the murderers."

"Oh, no," Kinkstar meowed interrupting him. "You are not going back."

"But Firestar-"

"Firestar can do nothing while you are in my custody," Kinkstar interrupted Lightningwhisker. "He has to ask for your return."

"How is he supposed to ask if he doesn't know where we are?" Bumblethroat demanded.

Kinkstar gave him a threatening grin. "Oh, he will. And the only way he's getting you back is if he returns Needlefur to me."

Eveningbreeze was surprised. She glanced up again. It was odd. Kinkstar was actually scheming. She had different motives and wasn't being polite. Eveningbreeze was shocked. She wasn't sure it was a good thing to bring Needlefur into the Clan. She couldn't have more cats yet. Cats that didn't like her or knew her. Needlefur was just one of the extra cats she didn't know anything about. She didn't know what drove him or could get him on her side. She knew most of the cats here. She knew what made them do what they did. If another cat came in, her takeover wouldn't be so easy. It relied on a small number of cats. Much more would make it difficult.

"Ivytail, Fernstripe, keep guarding these four," Kinkstar meowed, turning away. "If they try to escape, kill them."

The two she-cats nodded. They continued to sit next to the ThunderClan cats.

"Tigerheart, Olivespot, Snowbird," Kinkstar yowled. Her warriors came to attention from where they were next to Snaketail's body. "You're going to ThunderClan with a message. Tell Firestar I have his deputy and these other three. Tell him I will not return them because they have murdered Snaketail. Tell him the only way we'll talk is if he brings Needlefur to me."

The three warriors nodded. Kinkstar dismissed them with a wave of her tail. They were about to leave the camp, when Fernstripe called out, "What about a new deputy?"

Eveningbreeze was anxious to find out as well. Would her plans be fruitful? Would she be deputy?

Kinkstar whirled to face Fernstripe. She'd been walking to the medicine cat den probably to speak to Brownfeather, who everyone seemed convinced was the murderer. Kinkstar stared down the light tabby she-cat. Fernstripe's ears went back in Kinkstar's wrath.

Finally Kinkstar meowed with a curled lip, "I have until moon high to decide."

* * *

**Oh, no what will happen to Brownfeather? What about Fallingsnow? You probably know since you read that other story. Evil Kinkstar scheming.**

**So, what did you think about Eveningbreeze realizing she didn't love Brownfeather after all? Now she thinks she loves Deepforest. Would that make a good match?**

**Well, a song for the chapter:** Colbie Caillat - Fallin' For You

I am trying  
Not to tell you  
But I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling  
But I'm tired of  
Holding this inside my head

I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
and now I found ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

**Whose point of view do you think that's from? You can will a Kinkstar plushie or Forest, or who ever.**


	23. Chapter 22: Why Redsky Helps

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 22: Why Redsky helps**

Eveningbreeze watched Olivespot, Tigerheart, and Snowbird leave. Her job with Snaketail was done. She left his side and went to Fernstripe. As she went, she glared at Stoneheart. He looked away. She was pleased when he said nothing at all. Good, he'd listen to her after all. But that would have to be later. When it was just him and her alone.

"Tell me what happened," she told her sister.

"These four came with Snaketail's body," Fernstripe swept her tail at the ThunderClan cats. They glared back at her, but both she-cats ignored that. "They claim to have seen a dark brown tabby murdering him. Stoneheart spotted them and came into camp to tell Kinkstar. We went outside to meet them. Everyone thought Tigerheart was the killer until you arrived."

They looked at each other. Fernstripe asked a question with her eyes as she looked at the medicine cat den where Brownfeather was held captive. Eveningbreeze knew Fernstripe was wondering if she was okay with what was happening. To show her sister she didn't care, she looked up and waved her tail as if it was just an insect she was waving away. Fernstripe understood and though still surprised, let the subject drop in front of the ThunderClan cats.

Eveningbreeze left after one more glare at Fallingsnow. The tabby looked confused and worried all that the same time. Her eyes strayed to the medicine cat den. Eveningbreeze felt pleasure as she realized she'd found a knew way to punish Fallingsnow. If Brownfeather died, Fallingsnow wouldn't have her mate any longer. She would have to live with seeing him die. Eveningbreeze stalked off. She knew Kinkstar didn't want anyone to leave camp while they could be attacked. They had to defend themselves after all, but Eveningbreeze thought it would be better for them to hide out in the forest just until they were sure. But she wasn't leader yet and couldn't make that decision for the Clan. After clearing some snow off of the ground, she laid down and started to nap, nearby Redsky and Stoneheart.

"So it everything is going with the plan?" Redsky whispered to her. He was still sitting upright as if nothing was going on.

Eveningbreeze glanced up at the mottled brown tom.

"Yes," she answered quietly, closing her eyes. "When Kinkstar names me deputy later tonight, you'll see that its all to plan."

"What about Brownfeather?" Redsky asked.

Eveningbreeze paused. Out of all the cats in the Clan, Redsky was the most receptive to her and agreeable to her plans. He actually wanted to get closer to Dawncloud. Eveningbreeze was surprise to learn that. The tom was worried Dawncloud didn't love him. He was also worried that Dapplekit wouldn't have anyone to love either. Eveningbreeze had promised that if she was leader, Dapplekit would find a cat to love even if she had to bring someone in, and that Dawncloud would admire Redsky if he was one of the new leader's favorite warriors, willing to follow her anywhere. Redsky eagerly accepted. Though at first he didn't like the idea of all these cats would have to die, he had accepted and he promised to help her. He was the only cat to promise to her. Eveningbreeze had to gather the other cats soon. Needlefur would be a problem. She'd have to start all over as cats began to wonder if it was worth it or lose interest in what she had to say.

"He has to be blamed," she answered quietly. "If he isn't, then everyone will look for the next obvious choice. That will lead to me. If I'm not leader, ShadowClan will get weaker. You'll see. So he has to go. I did love him once. Don't think this comes easy to me," she lied with just the right sound of a tight voice.

Redsky murmured sympathetically. Then he was silent.

Eveningbreeze napped for a bit, glad he didn't want to talk anymore.

After sunhigh, Snowbird came into camp.

Eveningbreeze woke up and watched Kinkstar round up some cats. She was disappointed when she wasn't chosen. Kinkstar, Snowbird, and Batwing led the ThunderClan cats out of camp. Eveningbreeze was surprised Kinkstar didn't bring more cats. It was as if she didn't believe the ThunderClan cats would run or attack.

More waiting came. Finally the patrol returned with more cats than Eveningbreeze was expecting. Her eyes widened as she stared. Darkfire had come. And with them was a cat Eveningbreeze had never seen before. She had long amber with a black shine fur and amber eyes. Eveningbreeze could only stare. That cat was extremely beautiful.

The three newcomers were led to the back of the camp where the other ThunderClan cats had been. Guards were posted around them.

Redsky growled low.

"What's the matter?" Eveningbreeze asked, looking up at him.

"He's back," he snarled, glaring at Darkfire.

Eveningbreeze looked between the two toms and then she saw Dawncloud. The creamy cat stared over at Darkfire, Dapplekit playing at her feet. Eveningbreeze realized that Redsky didn't like the way Dawncloud looked at Darkfire. Redsky saw Darkfire as a threat.

"She used to like him," Redsky growled, keeping his voice low. If it were loud, the whole camp would have heard. "She wanted him as a mate, but when he left, she chose me."

_No wonder Redsky's worried about her love_, Eveningbreeze realized.

"And you think he'll steal her back," Eveningbreeze meowed just as silent.

He nodded, a lip curled.

"Not if Kinkstar deals with them," Eveningbreeze soothed. "Why else bring her son here? She probably wants to punish him and if Darkfire gets in the way, he'll be dead to. Did you see how mad she was at the Gathering?"

Eveningbreeze hoped Kinkstar didn't kill Darkfire too soon, she had to ask the older warrior about helping her.

Redsky nodded in reply to Eveningbreeze and then the two shared stories about Gatherings until Eveningbreeze realized Kinkstar hadn't returned.

"Where's Kinkstar?" Eveningbreeze asked, raising her voice.

Batwing looked over.

"She and Tigerheart went to find the killer."

"But the killer's here," Eveningbreeze nodded to the medicine den.

Batwing shook her head. "Darkfire told her to find the real killer's tracks in the snow. She and Tigerheart went to search."

Eveningbreeze's eyes opened wide in shock. She suddenly looked at the snow on the camp. The tracks of all the clan cats were everywhere. They'd find Deepforest in no time. Coldness entered her heart. She realized then she hated Darkfire. He'd told Kinkstar how to kill Deepforest, the only cat she really loved.

**_-Line-_**

After a time I became a bit more relaxed. No one had come yet so they probably never would. I went out to hunt, managing to capture a mouse. I ate it outside my den as I waited for Eveningbreeze. She'd come soon, I was sure.

After sun high I was just starting to fall asleep when two cats burst from behind the bare bushes. One was a tabby she-cat the other was a dark tabby. I jerked up as they stared at me. The she-cat bared her teeth and lunged for me. I scrambled to my feet and fled. What was going on?

They followed me through the bushes. If I'd been deeper in the ShadowClan territory, they probably would have captured me easily but I fled for the border. I went to the mountain. The scent markers flashed by me and I raced upward far from ShadowClan. It took a long time to lose the two, but eventually I did. I didn't hear their pursuit and slowed down. As I did, I wondered how they'd even found me. It made no sense. Why had they come so late after the murder? It had been such along time so why had they waited to come from me. Because I was so far away, Eveningbreeze would probably never find me.

I sighed and decided to go back to the ShadowClan territory in a day or two. It just wasn't safe. At least not for me. They knew I was the killer. Or did they? They'd only chased me. Perhaps they'd only realized I was a rogue and wanted me off of their land.

By now I realized that I'd seen Kinkstar and Tigerheart, the other dark tabby in ShadowClan. I worried about Eveningbreeze. Maybe she was the reason they'd come so late. If they knew that I was the killer, did they know what part she had in it? Had they dealt with her before coming after me?

I had to find out. I crept back to Clan land, determined to find her.

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze was worried when Kinkstar and Tigerheart came back, but she was relieved to find out they hadn't captured Deepforest. Kinkstar was in a rage though which amused Eveningbreeze highly at the time. She knew Deepforest had run far away by now. He was safe. And everything had worked to plan. She was now deputy. Kinkstar had named her just that moonhigh.

It was now late at night. She sat at Snaketail's vigil. Most of the Clan was awake for it, at the same time watching the three prisoners who sat in the corner. Kinkstar mostly ignored them so Eveningbreeze didn't know what Kinkstar was planning to do with them.

However, not all things had been to plan. Eveningbreeze was angry that Brownfeather wasn't being guarded anymore; he was no longer thought of as the murderer. Kinkstar had stopped guarding him. Now he was staying in the medicine den to heal. Fallingsnow would not have worry about him being killed now. What also made Eveningbreeze angry was that Stoneheart was still under suspicion. Eveningbreeze hated the idea. He still might slip. She had to deal with him. To tell him what to say, but now Kinkstar didn't really want anyone going to him. There had to be another way to manage her brother.

The sun rose and as Oakfur and two other cats went to bury the old deputy, Eveningbreeze started to order cats into patrols. Though she hadn't had an apprentice, she was good at orders. It had to have been the practice with her siblings. Eveningbreeze took everything from Kinkstar's paws. The leader went to her den to sleep and to grieve. Eveningbreeze meanwhile ordered everyone and they actually listened. She felt joy as she watched them. She was deputy and was one step closer to being completely at the top.

The day continued almost too quickly for the new deputy. Eveningbreeze watched the camp, watched Lightingwhisker (who'd come back just yesterday to help ShadowClan out) complain about having to stay in camp, and Eveningbreeze stayed to make sure things went smoothly. And then sun high came. The sun was high in the sky but it was not warm enough to give the cats heat. The cold leafbare day made it almost a gloomy day.

Kinkstar came out of her den and after eating, went over to the prisoners. She waved her tail for Eveningbreeze to join her. The first thing out of her mouth, "Eveningbreeze, escort Lightningwhisker to the border."

Eeveningbreeze stopped herself from snarling in displeasure. She didn't want to escort this black warrior to the border, not while things were happening in camp. What was Kinkstar going to do with the prisoners? She nodded, though, and started from camp. She had to do as Kinkstar ordered for now. Lightingwhisker bounced after her, happy to be gone.

Eveningbreeze hurried once they left the camp. The sooner Lightningwhisker was over the border, the sooner Eveningbreeze could get back to camp and see what was going on.

The two she-cat didn't talk at all until they reached the border.

"Don't come back," Evneningbreeze growled at her compainon. She was still angry that the ThunderClan cat had come with more evidence about her and Deepforest.

Just yesterday, before Kinkstar came back from chasing Deepforest from the territory, Lightningwhisker had shown up. When Kinkstar came, the black thunderClan warrior explained what Firestar and the others thought. Eveningbreeze was angry when all of that let Brownfeather be realeased. This was the one flaw in her plan. If everyone knew Deepforest was the murderer, how could he be part of the Clan?

"I wasn't planning to," Lightningwhisker hissed back. "Stay off of our land."

That just made Eveningbreeze want to cross right then to show Lightningwhisker she could. The warrior left, racing back to camp on swift legs. Eveningbreeze wondered if she had WindClan blood in her. Eveningbreeze turned around and headed back to camp as fast as she could.

She returned and heard the sounds of angry voices from Kinkstar's den. She looked around and saw that Needlefur was gone. They had to have been speaking. Darkfire was in his same position as that morning, Snowbird watching him. Hickorypaw, his daughter, was no where to be seen. Eveningbreeze wondered if she was the first cat to die. She quickly found Ferstripe so she would tell her.

"Redsky is Hickorypaw's mentor," Fernstripe meowed.

Eveningbreeze stared at her. "What? They're just becoming part of this Clan?"

"I suppose," Fernstripe answered her head lowered to seem not threatening. She didn't want to be yelled at for something she hadn't done.

Eveningbreeze ignored that and glared over at the leader's den. This was the strangest thing Kinkstar had ever done. Not at against adding cats to her Clan. Traitor cats. Of course Eveningbreeze wasn't disappointed. Darkfire was going to be part of of ShadowClan. Though she was angry with him for helping Kinkstar find Deepforest, she could always see if he was on her side or not. The thing Eveningbreeze didn't really like was that everyone could join ShadowClan so quickly without having to prove their loyalty.

"Needlefur might not," Fernstripe tried to relieve Eveningbreeze.

She nodded to Kinkstar's den where shrieks of pain could be heard, but soon the argument subsided and out stepped leader and warrior. Kinkstar was a bit bloody around the ears, as was her son, but they were both living. Eveningbreeze glowered. Kinkstar wasn't as strong as a leader as she could have been. Now Eveningbreeze had to deal with two cats that didn't know anything about her and her goals, and because Kinkstar had invited them into the Clan and not killed them, they would follow her anywhere. They wouldn't turn against her because they didn't think she was making the Clan weak.

"Hear this," Kinkstar declared as she brought Needlefur back to Darkfire. "These two cats are a part of ShadowClan. They will live in the warrior den and be included. They will not, however, be allowed to leave this Clan on their own. They will never return to Summerheat Camp."

Needlefur didn't look pleased and though he and Darkfire shared a glance, the two toms didn't say a thing. Clearly they didn't agree with joining ShadowClan.

Kinkstar looked around the camp and spotted Eveningbreeze. She waved her tail. Eveningbreeze approached.

"Give them something to do," Kinkstar ordered. "Hickorypaw is now Redsky's apprentice."

Eveningbreeze nodded. Kinkstar left and went to her den. The deputy was left with the two outsiders.

"Hunting patrol," she growled at them. "Fernstripe. Rowanclaw."

The two cats came. Needlefur and Darkfire looked at them. Then finally the four took off. Eveningbreeze was one of the few left in the camp. She decided to leave. That was when she saw Stoneheart sitting alone in a corner. She stalked over.

"If you say anything to Kinkstar at all, I will kill you," she told him. "In such a way, you will not even want StarClan to see you."

He gulped. Though Eveningbreeze didn't believe in StarClan, she used the other cat's belief against them.

"Better yet, don't say anything at all," she told him, changing her mind on everything. He wouldn't come up with a reason why he hadn't realized Snaketail was dying. Kinkstar would probably see through that. It was better if he remained silent.

"Now guard the camp," she ordered.

Eveningbreeze stalked off. She had to find Deepforest. All was well in the camp. It was time to finalize her plans and see what changes needed to be done. Perhaps she'd promise to let Darkfire and Needlefur go back to Summerheat camp if they helped her become leader. But first she'd have to speak with Darkfire alone sometime and see if he still wanted to lead the Clans instead of going back to Summerheat Camp.

The dark she-cat left the camp and searched for Deepforest up the mountain.

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze found me two days after Snaketail's murder. I watched her come over the border the next day as I sat in a tree. I realized it was safer up there. No cats really looked up and so I climbed to watch everything. There was a better view from the top of the leafless tree. I could see danger before it got me.

I sat and waited for those two days near the ShadowClan border, waiting for Eveningbreeze. I saw border patrols from ShadowClan. It was as if nothing had happened at all. They did look a bit angry and looked up the mountain with suspicion, but they never crossed the border. I was safe.

Eveningbreeze crossed the border those two days after the murder. I hadn't seen her around until then and I was relieved that she was still living, that Kinkstar didn't know that she'd come up with the murder.

Eveningbreeze sniffed along, scanning the undergrowth, her dark fur showing up against the white snow. She'd come from the direction of ThunderClan. Probably from my den. I looked around for other cats. I didn't see any. I knew It was safe to go to her.

I hurried down from my branch and ran to get Eveningbreeze. I came up behind her as quietly as I could but she'd heard me. She was turned around and growling at me in an instant. I didn't flinch. I knew by now she'd never hurt me, never chase me away, she needed me. If she didn't have me she'd never take over the Clan. If she'd turned against me after the murder, I could leave and wouldn't look back. I would know though that she'd never take over the Clan. She just didn't have the body strength, that was why she needed me.

When Eveningbreeze realized it was me and not a threat, she calmed down and smiled. I was relieved to see her and know that she hadn't turned against me like I'd feared.

"Are you deputy?" I eagerly asked.

She nodded vigorously.

"What about-"

"Not here," she interrupted. She looked around warily. "My Clan could find us. Follow me."

So I did. She led me around ShadowClan and into ThunderClan territory. We walked near the abbandoned twolegplace and met in a small clearing.

"Well?" I asked.

"Brownfeather was almost blamed for the murder. Then Darkfire told Kinkstar to look at the snow tracks."

I nodded. That made sense. That was how they'd found me. I'd have to be more careful of that.

"Darkfire, Needlefur, and Hickorypaw came from ThunderClan and are in camp," she continued.

"Wait, who are they?"

She explained about these cats. I listened as she told me more about the dangers in her camp and her fears of not succeeding with these new cats. Already she'd tried to approach Darkfire with the idea. He'd rebuffed her, uninterested. It was as if he didn't trust her for some reason. She was glad she hadn't told him much and she hadn't tried again, seeing him as a threat if he revealed anything. She didn't want to give everything away yet. She still had to take Kinkstar's life.

"When do we do it?" I asked. "And how?"

"You, Stoneheart, Fernstripe, and Redsky will attack," Eveningbreeze told me. "While that goes on, I'll take Kinkstar's life."

"When?" I asked again.

"I don't know that yet. Wait until a quarter moon to ask me more. You should hide out on the mountain until then. My Clan is watching for you. You can't get caught. I'll come find you okay?"

I nodded reluctantly. I'd rather stay near just in case. I wanted to know if they'd come after me again.

The time I'd tried to find Eveningbreeze, after I was chased from the territory, I hadn't gone far into the ShadowClan land, those cats had seemed to be everywhere. I'd retreated, deciding to give Eveningbreeze time. And she'd come today. I was glad, but I was impatient. I wanted to get this done I wanted to become leader soon. I had to find a new den if what Eveningbreeze was saying was true that we'd do it soon. I didn't want to be so far away.

Just then I heard pawsteps. My ears twitched. Eveningbreeze noticed and turned searching for the source. The steps were getting louder. This was ThunderClan territory after all and neither of us were safe. We had to get out of there.

"I'll see you," she whispered and took off directly to ShadowClan.

I turned around and ran in the opposite direction. The cat we'd heard, if they came after us, would have to make a choice, follow me or follow her. Because I was going into ThunderClan land, I thought they'd follow me, seeing that I was the threat. So I hurried. But as I went I remembered the lesson I'd learned from Eveningbreeze. She'd unknowingly given me a tip. I had to watch my tracks. The cat would follow me by them.

I quickly made a circle and then I raced up a nearby tree. Of course once there I realized a cat would see me. So I cautiously hopped to another branch on another tree. The branches were so close that it was easy. I sighed in relief that I could get away.

I never knew which ThunderClan cat it had been who'd almost found us, but it made me realize how much more sly I had to become to protect myself. I realized I wouldn't listen to Eveningbreeze. I was going back into ShadowClan. I'd spy on her Clan and make sure she did well. I didn't want anymore surprises. If the Clan found out about me and knew where to find me, I would be there to make sure I got away cleanly. My time was drawing close. Leafbare was starting to get old. Newleaf was on its way. I had to be home before greenleaf.

* * *

**Things start getting interesting again.**

**So if I was confused as I wrote this, does that make you guys confused? Do you know what's going on?**


	24. Chapter 23: Caught in Action

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my fabuloso reviewers: _Icethroat21, Emberheart0, _and _VioletteRose!

* * *

**Chapter 23: Catching them in Action**

The days went by so slowly to Eveningbreeze. She had difficulty sitting still. She had difficulty hunting because her mind kept wandering to the things she would do after she was in charge. She wanted to get it over with: kill Kinkstar and become the ShadowClan leader, but she couldn't. Not yet. Her Clan was still too wary. As a group they were looking out for trouble. They didn't want to be snuck up on. They were waiting for Snaketail's murderer to return. Only Kinkstar and Tigerheart had officially seen him and everyone else was searching for a dark brown tabby, willing to kill him.

Eveningbreeze knew they'd never find him. Deepforest was some where up on the mountain, hiding and safe. He knew to come back in a moon. Eveningbreeze had told him so, and she trusted him. He hadn't let her down yet, and he never would.

Eveningbreeze smiled as she thought of him. He was such a sweet tom. She wished she'd told him her feelings the last time she saw him, but some ThunderClan cat had chased them away. She scowled. May tick and fleas be in their nest whoever that had been.

"Hey."

Eveningbreeze looked up. She was still in a crouch. A few moments ago, before she'd started thinking about Deepforest, there had been a mouse she'd been stalking. It had been running over the snow, stuffing berries in its mouth. Eveningbreeze had placed the berries down before that. She'd developed a new way of hunting, drawing the prey to her instead of her trying to find it. She hadn't told anyone else yet. There were still some kinks to work out. Now as Eveningbreeze looked around for that scrawny mouse, she couldn't see it. It had taken the berries and ran while she was distracted.

"Hey."

Eveningbreeze looked again. Who'd said that? She looked around. It was Fernstripe. She was sitting under a needle-bearing tree behind Eveningbreeze. Eveningbreeze wondered how long her sister had been there.

"What?" she asked, getting up.

The snow fell off of her ginger belly. She wasn't doing any good just standing there. Besides her limbs were starting to go numb. She stalked over to Fernstripe, pretending to be annoyed. Her sister's yellow eyes looked a bit nervous. Instant worry went through Eveningbreeze. Stoneheart hadn't said anything, had he? She was so worried he would and that would end Eveningbreeze's plan.

Stoneheart deeply regretted leading Snaketail to his death and he was scared of Eveningbreeze leading the Clan. She knew this and she knew his silence wouldn't last forever. Bringing him with her where ever she went to keep an eye on him was starting to look like an option. It was either that or kill him in a less suspicious way and make sure ShadowClan didn't feel pity for his death. He was a liability. If she did become leader before he talked, it wouldn't matter what he said. Once Deepforest was brought back to the Clan, ShadowClan would realize she'd planned it all. They would follow her though. Not only would Deepforest, Redsky, and Fernstripe keep them in line they'd see what a better leader she was compared to Kinkstar. In time they would accept her ruling.

"Brownfeather was let out of the medicine den," Fernstripe meowed, her eyes cast downward.

Eveningbreeze's ears went up and her whiskers forward.

"Yeah? What did he do?"

It wasn't as bad and she'd thought it would be. Brownfeather recovered wasn't terrible. She would have like it better if he'd died, but him out wasn't a big deal She'd still have a good sized Clan with him.

"First he looked out over in the direction of ThunderClan," Fernstripe whispered.

Eveningbreeze eye's widened. He still thought about that little she-cat then?

"Then he asked Kinkstar if he couldn't hunt. She told him no. He's still wounded and hunting would rip his wounds open again. She told him to repair camp, the apprentices helping," Fernstripe continued.

"When was this?" Eveningbreeze asked.

What were their mentors doing now? She looked u through the leafless branches of threes and into the light blue, cloud spattered sky. The sun was past it s highest point. She'd been out all morning and hadn't caught a thing.

"A while after dawn and before the sun high patrol. I thought I should tell you, but I couldn't sooner."

Eveningbreeze nodded her thanks. Fernstripe hadn't been able to tell her before because she'd been on the sun high patrol.

"I think I'll go back and see how he's doing."

Fernstripe gave a small smile. Eveningbreeze almost laughed. Her sister still thought she loved the fool. Eveningbreeze would have to correct that sometime, but for now if everyone thought she still loved him, it could be an advantage for her.

Eveningbreeze quickly left her sister after ordering Fernstripe to hunt. She made it to camp. Redsky was in the clearing, guarding the camp. Eveningbreeze nodded to him as she passed. He nodded back with a smile. Well at least she now knew where one mentor was. She wondered how he liked having Hickorypaw, Darkfire's daughter, as an apprentice. Redsky didn't like Darkfire because she didn't and because he was still suspicious Darkfire would steal Dawncloud from him, but Redsky seemed to like having his first apprentice. He taught her what he could.

Eveningbreeze quickly followed the sound of happy chatter and laughing to the only cats left in camp. They were in the apprentice den behind thickly woven branches covered in snow. Inside it was warm. Hickorypaw and Acornpaw were laying down fresh moss. That must have taken a long time to find and get dry, Eveningbreeze thought. Brownfeather was raking up the old moss, and it was really old since it hadn't been changed since leaf-fall. None of the nests had replaced moss since that time.

When Eveningbreeze stuck her head into the apprentice den, instantly the talking died. The three stared at their deputy with wide eyes. Acornpaw looked a bit guilty. Eveningbreeze had a suspicion that he'd been talking about her. Eveningbreeze frowned at him and he quickly ducked his head.

Eveningbreeze wasn't fond of the oldest apprentice, but he was Fernstripe's soon to be mate. That was his only choice. He couldn't even wait for Dapplekit to become a warrior because she was a close cousin of his. But as Eveningbreeze looked at the three she suddenly saw how close Hickorypaw and Acornpaw were. Acornpaw really did have a choice now, Eveningbreeze realized, surprised. He could choose Hickorypaw. She wasn't leaving to Summerheat Camp anytime soon and she was extremely beautiful. well, Eveningbreeze thought with some amusement, Fernstripe would have some competition. Eveningbreeze wondered how Fernstripe would handle it. No wonder there had been some glares the other day and hissing. Eveningbreeze had just thought Fernstripe was in another of her bad moods.

"Brownfeather," Eveningbreeze turned to the dark tabby tom. "Come out."

She backed out of the den and waited. She could feel eyes on her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Redsky looking at her, wondering what she wanted with the apprentices. She gave him a quick, reassuring smile as Brownfeather came out of the den, frowning and unhappy.

"Walk with me," the deputy ordered. She started out of the camp. She was not going to speak in front of Redsky or the apprentices. What she had to say was mostly private and was best if Brownfeather was alone with her.

Brownfeather followed, she could tell he was very reluctant. He'd dragged his paws, leaving long trails. She almost snarled at him to hurry up. But she had a feeling he wouldn't do that. He didn't even respect her as deputy. She realized she'd been right to not be his mate. She would never have his love. Finally they were far enough away.

"I'm sorry about not believing you," she meowed quietly.

"What?" he asked, looking at her. He seemed confused. His small ears tilted towards her as he continued walking by her side.

"I know I should have stood up for you when you said the fox attacked you," Eveningbreeze continued, still sounding sad. She actually wasn't, but she had a reason for lying and speaking to Brownfeather this way.

"I guess, I just. . ." she sighed. "I went with everyone else because it just made sense. I thought you had done it, but I was right there, I smelled the fox. I don't know why I almost let you get killed."

She expected him to accept her apology and tell her everything would be fine and that he forgave her. He'd then realize what a good cat she was and that she actually was a good, trustworthy deputy. She did not expect however that he would confess his love for Fallingsnow or say he'd follow her to the ends of the earth. She did want him to like her again though. Eveningbreeze wanted him to like her and be her help in taking over the Clan. She needed more cats. She needed something that would drive them against Kinkstar and to her.

"Why didn't you stand up for me?" he demanded. His ears were laid back now and his face a snarl. Eveningbreeze shied away from him, all thoughts of conquest from her mind. He wasn't forgiving her?

"Well, I-"

"You didn't want to," he snapped at her. "You knew what you were doing. Don't come begging to me. I don't know what's going on in your dark mind, but I don't trust you. Just get away from me."

He bounded away over the snow and through two pine trees. They rustled as he left, shedding small amount of snow to the ground. Eveningbreeze stared after him. What had he just done? He hadn't even listened to her! She snarled at his no longer visible form. Then she ran over to a tree and left long claw marks in it, venting her anger. Another cat against her. He would never be on her side. She could just forget about him. He was too involved with his little ThunderClan cat. And it was like a light went on in her mind. Fallingsnow.

Eveningbreeze looked around, a plan forming.

"Tonight, Brownfeather, I promise you," she vowed in a growling voice. "You'll get your pay back. Fallingsnow will no longer be yours."

She stalked off, her tail thrashing as she planned how she'd get her revenge against two of her enemies. Dark clouds formed overhead and a cold wind blew through the forest.

"This matches my thoughts exactly," Eveningbreeze meowed to herself, glancing up as the snow started to fall.

**_-Line-_**

"He left," Fernstripe whispered, nudging Eveningbreeze awake.

The deputy longed to curl up again and sleep, but she got to her paws and groggily stretched, careful not to bump any of her Clan mates. She didn't want anyone else waking up.

"Did you see where he went?" Eveningbreeze asked.

Fernstripe shook her head. "Darkfire's out there. I was afraid he'd ask me questions."

Eveningbreeze frowned. Even Fernstripe was scared of that black warrior. Eveningbreeze didn't trust him. She had a feeling she never would, not even if his intentions were the same as hers. Needlefur she at least got along with. He followed her orders and seemed almost content. Though at times Eveningbreeze would catch him looking off into the distance and sighing. He trusted her as the deputy and respected her, like many of the ShadowClan cats.

Eveningbreeze sighed. "Make sure Stoneheart doesn't do anything while I'm gone."

Then she walked over to Tigerheart. She gently touched him with her paw. He instantly woke up, trained as a warrior to be prepared for battle even in the night. ShadowClan was usually active in the time of the moon, but only in other seasons. Leafbare was too cold to be wasting energy in the dark night.

Tigerheart's amber eyes opened and almost seemed to glow in the dark.

"Come with me," Eveningbreeze meowed. She knew as deputy he would listen to her if not for any other reason. "It's about your son."

He nodded and got up, careful not to disturb anyone. He would let them get their sleep. After he stretched, Eveningbreeze led the way from the warrior den. Fernstripe was already laying down again, either asleep or pretending it. Eveningbreeze ignored her sister, her job was done.

They got outside and instantly Eveningbreeze felt the cold penetrate her thick pelt. She shivered and breathed out. Her breathe rose in a white cloud. She watched it and breathed in, her throat getting pricked as if by ice. She wanted to cough, but she swallowed the feeling and continued. Darkfire turned to face them. She wondered if he'd seen Brownfeather leave and if so, why he hadn't stopped the warrior. She passed him without a word. He didn't need to know what was going on. This was between four cats. Her, Tigerheart, Brownfeather, and Fallingsnow.

After they left the dark of the camp for the forest lite by moonlight, the clouds having long since left after dumping their heavy load, Eveningbreeze spoke. Her voice was loud enough to be heard over the crunching of the snow. It was hard for her to concentrate as she kept sinking into her chest into the snow. She had to plan her next bound to not trip and fall over. That wasn't dignified for a deputy. Also she had to keep her eye on Brownfeather's trail. She planned on following it to the two lovers.

"Brownfeather has been leaving most nights," she huffed, her breath streaming from her open mouth. "I don't know where, but it's important we find out. He could be a traitor after all. I know as his father, you might be able to talk him out of something mousebrain."

Tigerheart nodded, but he looked a bit angry. Eveningbreeze hopped he wasn't angry at her but at Brownfeather, that he would be willing to do anything to punish his son for what he was about to see.

"We need to make sure it's not dangerous so when we get to the border, try to be quiet."

He nodded again. They remained silent, following the trail. And then they saw them. Through the trees, two cats leaned against each other, talking in each other's ears, just inside the ShadowClan border. Tigerheart's eyes widened and a low hiss came from them. Eveningbreeze stopped a pleased smile creeping on her face. It was good she'd caught them like this, there was no doubt now that Brownfeather was a traitor to the code, which was what Tigerheart had to be worrying about.

And then Eveningbreeze caught what they were saying, their voices faint.

"Kinkstar didn't kill anyone," Brownfeather sighed. "After finding out I wasn't the murderer, she let me go. She told me to get better and said I could get back to duties when Littlecloud let me. She questioned Stoneheart later, but gave up on him. He can't seem to talk anymore. He's too nervous and stutters. Kinkstar wonders if he lost his mind," Brownfeather meowed.

They were talking about Stoneheart. Who knew what else they'd get into. Her, Deepforest, how they wanted to take over the Clan. She didn't know how much Brownfeather knew. It was dangerous especially if they started speculating on Stoneheart's problem.

"But she hated Needlefur," Fallingsnow protested. She seemed surprised.

"For a while," Brownfeather shrugged. "But they spoke to each other and they seem to have made up."

Fallingsnow didn't seem to know what to say. She just stared at Brownfeather.

Eveningbreeze started forward ready to interrupt. Tigerheart followed, stalking after. Luckily the snow wasn't so deep in this area. She carefully stepped where Brownfeather had, hardly making a sound.

"So, you see," Brownfeather purred. "Everyone is all right."

"Not for long," Eveningbreeze hissed coming up behind them.

She walked from the shadows Tigerheart by her side. His tail thrashed in anger as he stared at his son. Then his eyes went to Fallingsnow.

"What are you doing here?" Tigerheart demanded.

"I - what are you doing here?" Fallingsnow demanded right back. She looked like she wasn't afraid at all. Eveningbreeze was surprised at how fierce the ThunderClan cat could really be.

"This happens to be ShadowClan territory," Eveningbreeze meowed, her eyes narrowed. "And because you've trespassed, it's time to show ThunderClan they can't keep letting their cats come over."

She rushed forward, her jaws open to take a bite out of Fallingsnow. Eveningbreeze knew she was well with in her rights to attack Fallingsnow. The warrior had trespassed on ShadowClan land. What she probably shouldn't have been doing was getting ready to kill the tabby, but Eveningbreeze knew she could get away with it. Her Clan wouldn't blame her. They might think her method was a bit extreme, but they would agree that Fallingsnow's death was a suitable punishment for trespassing and breaking the code.

Eveningbreeze was just about on top of the stunned warrior when a dark brown tabby pushed her away. Eveningbreeze looked up and met the eyes of Brownfeather. He stood over her, snarling.

"Brownfeather," Eveningbreeze gasped, looking up at him from where she lay on the snow.

"Brownfeather," Tigerheart growled in such a way that demanded he explain.

His son gulped and backed away from Eveningbreeze as he realized what he'd done to his deputy.

"I won't let you hurt her," Brownfeather meowed, standing in front of Fallingsnow. He defiantly stared at Tigerheart and Eveningbreeze.

"We weren't even here for her in the first place," Eveningbreeze snarled, hoping to distract him. When she got the chance she was killing Fallingsnow.

Brownfeather stared at her in confusion and then over at his father.

"We were following you," Tigerheart meowed, moving closer. It looked like he might get to Fallingsnow first.

"Kinkstar might trust you," Eveningbreeze meowed quietly. "But I don't. I've seen the looks you've sent when we were on patrol. I saw that you didn't love me anymore."

She hoped that her words would claw into his heart and make him guilty. She hadn't brought it up before, not since he'd been avoiding her, but now she was telling him that he had abandoned her. She also hopped to cast a bit of doubt inside Fallingsnow. She shouldn't believe her Brownfeather was so perfect. Eveningbreeze watched Brownfeather glance back at Fallingsnow and shake his head, instantly the confused look on Fallingsnow's face left. It seemed the ThunderClan cat didn't believe her. Eveningbreeze frowned.

"I knew once you were better you'd come here," Eveningbreeze continued deciding not to worry about that any longer. "Now we can take you both to Kinkstar. She can punish you then."

Eveningbreeze didn't really want that, but she could lie couldn't she? And if Brownfeather didn't respect Eveningbreeze as deputy, then he would certainly respect his leader. And Kinkstar couldn't like Fallingsnow at this point. The warrior had caused so many arguments with ShadowClan. Kinkstar would probably like the idea about killing Fallingsnow herself.

"That's exactly what we want," Fallingsnow meowed brightly.

Everyone stared at her like she was crazy. Fallingsnow twitched and ear, seeming embarrassed but firm.

"Take us to Kinkstar," she continued.

That was it. If Fallingsnow wanted to go, that wasn't a good thing.

Tigerheart looked over at Eveningbreeze. She realized it was her call. She had the rank to order.

"I'm deputy. I don't want to take them back. They're both traitors, let's kill them now," she snapped, moving forward, ready to dodge behind Brownfeather to get Fallingsnow. At this point she didn't care what happened to Brownfeather. He could die with his love if that's what he wanted. It would be one less thorn in her side.

"You might be deputy," Tigerheart growled, surprising her to freeze. "But you aren't leader. And I'm not one of your siblings to order around. They want to see Kinkstar, so that's where we take them."

Eveningbreeze spat her fur raising and her eyes boring into Tigerheart. How dare he stop her. He should have been for punishing his traitor son. Eveningbreeze contemplated attacking Tigerheart, but she knew the odds were bad. He was larger than her and Brownfeather would fight to protect his father.

"Come," she ordered, turning away. She stalked off, stiff.

* * *

**Dun dun dun. Eveningbreeze is losing her mind and her confidence. No one wants to follow her!**

**So anyway if you guessed from last chapter the song was about Eveningbreeze's thoughts of Deepforest and how she really loves him you're correct. Yea! (I think VioletteRose was the only one to try)**

**Hey ya'll vote for another poll on my profile. The winner of the last, "Which of my stories is your favorite?", was ****Hollyleaf's Challenge****!**


	25. Chapter 24: Attack Plan

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 24: Attack Planning**

They got back to camp. Darkfire, the night guard, stared at them in surprise.

"Fallingsnow?" Darkfire blinked, looking at the tabby.

"Darkfire!" Fallingsnow yelled and ran up to him. She purred and bumped her head into him. "I'm so glad you're not dead!"

"So am I," Darkfire meowed, a small grin on his face.

_Aww, sweet_, Eveningbreeze thought sarcastically, frowning, hating how Fallingsnow could get to be so happy. Soon she'd pay. Kinkstar would make sure of that. Eveningbreeze was looking forward to Kinkstar getting angry at Fallingsnow for coming back into camp.

Darkfire, looked at the cats that had come in. Eveningbreeze scowled at him. He didn't seem to notice.

Fallingsnow's yell had woken up a few cats. They stuck their head from their dens.

"It's all right," Tigerheart calmed them, "you can go back to sleep."

Some did so reluctantly. Fernstripe didn't go back to sleep. She stayed by the warriors' den, watching suspiciously. So she hadn't gone back to sleep. Now she wanted to know what was going on.

"Let's get this over with," Eveningbreeze hissed, turning away from the gathering of cats. "Come on."

She walked to Kinkstar's den, not caring if she woke up the leader. She noticed they didn't follow her. They were expecting her to get Kinkstar and bring her out. Eveningbreeze wasn't happy that they didn't listen to her. They stayed and talked to each other.

Eveningbreeze ducked under the opening and saw Kinkstar curled up asleep. It wasn't very warm in the den. Eveningbreeze suddenly realized she didn't want to sleep in a cold den in leafbare. She'd make sure Deepforest stayed with her, or else some cat. Maybe she'd sleep in the warrior den with everyone.

"Kinkstar," Eveningbreeze meowed loudly.

The leader jumped awake. She looked around, uncertain.

Eveningbreeze waited for Kinkstar to pay attention and told her everything that happened. She made Brownfeather seem like an enemy to the code and to Clan, and finally she told Kinkstar about Fallingsnow. Immediate anger lit in Kinkstar's eyes at the name. Eveningbreeze was pleased when she realized she was right. Brownfeather and Fallingsnow might be safe now, but soon they'd be dead. It wouldn't matter.

Kinkstar got up and led the way from the den. Eveningbreeze followed, very happy. A smile on her face. She looked at Fallingsnow triumphantly when they came to the circle of cats. Kinkstar stopped at looked at everyone before speaking.

"Another ThunderClan cat?" Kinkstar meowed. "And another of my warriors disobeying the code?"

Brownfeather looked down, guilty.

"Things always seem to happen around you," the leader continued, staring at Darkfire. He shrugged as if saying it wasn't his fault.

"How long have you been seeing her?" Kinkstar demanded.

"Three, four moons," Brownfeather nervously answered.

Eveningbreeze was surprised. She hadn't realized he'd known the apprentice before he became a warrior.

"And no one noticed?" Kinkstar meowed, looking around the dens. Then her eyes rested on Darkfire. He didn't look surprised. That made Eveningbreeze worried.

"I saw them once while I was in ThunderClan," Darkfire admitted.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Kinkstar growled.

"Brownfeather was in the medicine cat den," Darkfire defended himself. "It wasn't likely that he was going anywhere."

"And after I let him out?" Kinkstar was clearly annoyed with him.

Eveningbreeze watched eager for what Kinkstar would do with all three cats. It had to be good. All these secrets Kinkstar didn't know aught to make her angry with her warriors.

"I didn't have any time to talk with you." He seemed apologetic.

"And you won't after this," Kinkstar growled at him.

"What about these code traitors?" Eveningbreeze meowed, staring at Brownfeather and Fallingsnow. She had to get Kinkstar to pay attention to them again. They were the problem. They had to be dealt with first.

Kinkstar nodded and turned to Fallingsnow.

"What are you doing here?" Kinkstar asked. She seemed confused about that.

"I want to join ShadowClan," Fallingsnow meowed.

Kinkstar blinked in amazement. Eveningbreeze stared at Fallingsnow. She was serious? Join ShadowClan? Eveningbreeze wanted to laugh at the silliness at it all. Fallingsnow in ShadowClan!

"And why would that be?" Kinkstar challenged, recovered and annoyed once more. "Does ThunderClan want ShadowClan secrets?"

"I'm not a spy," Fallingsnow's eyes narrowed. "I want to join so I can be with Brownfeather."

"And you're willing to give up ThunderClan for him?" Eveningbreeze demanded. She started at the dark brown tabby. What made her loyal to this tom. He was so conceited. He wasn't even nice!

"I am," Fallingsnow meowed. "There wasn't anything there for me anyway."

"What makes you say that?" Kinkstar asked. "You have your family."

It seemed as if Kinkstar was trying to convince Fallingsnow to go back. Already Eveningbreeze had a feeling things were going down hill. If Kinkstar was talking, that meant she wanted to believe them. Eveningbreeze knew she would have won if Kinkstar just walked out and took the two lives and went back to her nest.

Fallingsnow looked down. "I know. And I will miss them, but I didn't like the rest of ThunderClan. They always teased me about my name, or ignored me. Firestar always looked over me. I didn't fit in very well."

"And we're supposed to believe that load of mousedung?" Eveningbreeze spat. "I say we kill them now. Brownfeather for disobeying the code and Fallingsnow for trespassing."

She had to make them do this. It was their only chance. She stared at Fallingsnow, her lip curled in anger. This cat was such a thorn. Fallingsnow was always annoying and ruining her plans. Eveningbreeze hated her.

"I think we should," Tigerheart meowed.

That got everyone's attention. They waited for him to continue. Eveningbreeze stared at him in shock. Why was he turning against her?

"In these past four months we've been seeing a lot of Fallingsnow. I remember when she came to us at the Gathering. She's crossed our borders and has spoken to many of our warriors. She's defended Brownfeather. She is closer to us than to ThunderClan I think," he continued.

"Then don't think," Eveningbreeze growled. He was ruining things. Kinkstar was starting to sway.

"I love Brownfeather," Fallingsnow meowed almost at the same time. "I want to join this clan for him. I don t want him to die because he'd disobeying the code. So I have to join ShadowClan to keep the code."

Eveningbreeze felt that Fallingsnow was playing them. She was just saying what Kinkstar would want to hear. Then Eveningbreeze realized Kinkstar was glaring at her. She blinked in surprise. What?

Kinkstar then turned to Tigerheart.

"You're doing this for your son aren't you?"

Tigerheart lowered his head.

"I want him to be happy. And killing Fallingsnow would be devastating. I think she's will to become a ShadowClan warrior."

Eveningbreeze couldn't believe he'd let his son get in the way of things. She wasn't letting her parents get in her way. She knew they were loyal to Kinkstar, but she could work around that.

"What do you think?" Kinkstar turned to Darkfire.

"Other cats haven't fit into ThunderClan before," Darkfire pointed out. "If she is a spy then she'll leave once things get dangerous, like of a fox attacks or that murdering rogue. I know she loves Brownfeather though. StarClan must have brought her to this point safely. Think of all the things that could have gotten her killed before."

Kinkstar gave a small smile. It was obvious she was recalling everything Fallingsnow had done before. Eveningbreeze was surprised she was happy. She should have been angry, bloodthirsty.

"And yet, Brownfeather still needs to be punished," Kinkstar meowed turning to face the young couple.

Everyone but Eveningbreeze and Fernstripe tensed. Tigerheart looked devastated. Fernstripe looked at Eveningbreeze wondering if this was okay. Eveningbreeze smiled. Yes, Kinkstar wasn't backing down after all. She was going to do what she should have done.

"I can think of a few things that I can do," Kinkstar continued. "Kill Fallingsnow, refuse to let her in, or kill Brownfeather." Eveningbreeze hoped she was given the task of killing Fallingsnow.

"I won't let you kill him!" Fallingsnow yelled standing up to block Brownfeather from Kinkstar's view. "I never will let you do that!"

Eveningbreeze was surprised. Who realized Fallingsnow had some hardness in her after all? She leaned forward, longing to prevented to protect her leader and kill Fallingsnow in the progress.

Kinkstar blinked her big eyes dangerously slow. Eveningbreeze started getting tense. Do it all ready!

"This has happened before," Kinkstar meowed, ignoring the young warrior. "The code has been broken by a ShadowClan cat. I was willing to have my son killed for his disobedience. Do you have the same passion for the code as I did?"

She turned her eyes on Tigerheart whose face had hardened. Then she turned and looked at Darkfire. "Would you be willing to give the death blow again?"  
Eveningbreeze was almost disappointed. She would be picked. She looked at Darkfire and saw pain flash on his wide face. It looked like he would refuse. Kinkstar turned before he could answer.

"Brownfeather did disobey the code," Kinkstar meowed. "And I can't let all of my cats do that. We wouldn't be a Clan. And we need to be strengthened."

Eveningbreeze nodded at that. Fallingsnow looked between Darkfire and Tigerheart. It was like she was deciding who would attack first and who she would have to defeat to protect Brownfeather.

"So I will deliver the punishment," Kinkstar meowed. She slowly walked forward to Brownfeather. Tigerheart tensed. Darkfire flexed his claws while Eveningbreeze grinned maliciously.

**_-Line-_**

This was just horrible. Horrible! How could Kinkstar be so forgiving? Eveningbreeze snarled as she walked along.

Brownfeather hadn't been punished at all. he'd only been demoted to an apprentice again for two moons. That was hardly a punishment at all. He'd be with his brother again. Fallingsnow wasn't being punished either. Just for supporting Brownfeather, she was joining ShadowClan. She had a probation time before becoming a ShadowClan warrior. She got to stay in the apprentice den with Brownfeather. And to top it all, Eveningbreeze had humiliated herself. She'd protested the whole thing that Kinkstar was almost willing to make Eveningbreeze just a warrior again. Kinkstar had threatened to take her deputyship from Eveningbreeze!

Eveningbreeze felt her hate for Kinkstar flare to life again. It was time for the old leader to go. And she'd remove Fallingsnow with her.

"I don't love Brownfeather," Eveningbreeze growled, looking at Fernstripe.

The tabby nodded. That didn't seem to surprise her. She looked at Eveningbreeze to say more.

Eveningbreeze didn't for a while. She continued to walk along the RiverClan border. Stoneheart a few paces behind her. She'd finally decided to take him with her. He was still stuttering and acting scared of every rustle of branches or crunch of snow. Eveningbreeze was using that against him to turn him against the Clan. They still seemed to think he had something to do with the murder. Why else would he be so nervous?

"He is a traitor. He and Fallingsnow will die when I become leader," Eveningbreeze finally meowed. "So will Darkfire, Hickorypaw, and Needlefur."

Fernstripe seemed surprised, but she nodded again.

"Every supporter of Kinkstar will go," she continued. "Only the loyal will stay. Right, Stoneheart?"

She looked back at him.

"S-s-sure," he stuttered back his eyes wide. He'd heard the threat.

Fernstripe looked at Eveningbreeze, a hard look in her eyes. It was a question. Her back rippled and her tail pointed momentarily to Stoneheart.

Eveningbreeze nodded. Yes, she was saying. He goes to. Fernstripe nodded more firmly this time. She would do that order if she had to.

Eveningbreeze caught a scent on the wind and paused. She looked over at RiverClan, looking for the cat. There was one hiding over there. She could smell it, but she couldn't identify it. She wondered if the cat had crossed the border. The open land between forest and reeds looked deserted, covered in snow. No twolegs were out. The twolegplace was abandoned. Eveningbreeze could heard the birds hiding in between the nest's top and walls. She wished she could go over there and catch them. She was so hungry.

"The Clan isn't happy about Fallingsnow," Fernstripe meowed.

"No," Eveningbreeze agreed, twitching her shoulder.

It was true. The cats were angry they had another mouth to feed. They barely caught enough food for themselves. They were also afraid of Fallingsnow just pretending to be one of them. Who said she wouldn't change her mind and go back to ThunderClan? She'd tell everyone ShadowClan weaknesses. Eveningbreeze frowned as she picked up the pace again, only pausing to leave scent markers.

Of course! She halted. Fallingsnow. She was the thing that would make cats come to Eveningbreeze. The Clan was unhappy with Kinkstar's recent decisions. They didn't like Fallingsnow. If Eveningbreeze used that, they might follow her. She let a pleased bounce enter her walk. She was back to being in charge. The Clan would be hers. This event had helped her remember her hatred for her leader and why she wanted to be leader. It would help the other cats learn as well.

"Things will get better," Eveningbreeze promised. "You'll see. Now start finding out who doesn't like Fallingsnow."

Fernstripe nodded. She'd do that. First they had to finish the patrol.

The cats disappeared into the forest, not realizing a form had been following them. Deepforest had been there. He hadn't heard them, but he was still with them, keeping track of the ShadowClan cats.

**_-Line-_**

The gathering came and went with the half moon. Fallingsnow declared her loyalties lied with ShadowClan in front of all the cats. Eveningbreeze was almost proud of the way she'd stood up to her sister and to Firestar. She wasn't letting anyone keep her from Brownfeather. Eveningbreeze wasn't quite pleased though. Just because Fallingsnow was for the Clan didn't mean anything. She weakened them by causing turmoil. No cat knew who to follow. She was also making the other Clans look at ShadowClan with suspicion. Eveningbreeze didn't want their attention, not while she was planning to take over.

Eveningbreeze knew the cats in ShadowClan who were on Fallingsnow's side: Darkfire, Needlefur, Hickorypaw, Brownfeather, Acornpaw, Olivespot, Tigerheart, Scorchtree, Batwing, and Ivytail. Eveningbreeze had her own loyal followers. Redsky, Fernstripe, Rowanclaw, Snowbird. She was pleased to know they'd be with her against Kinkstar as well. Things were looking better since Fallingsnow had come. Though the other cats were for Fallingsnow and had shown their loyalty, Eveningbreeze was sure she could get a few onto her side. They'd see Fallingsnow as just a pest soon. They'd know she wasn't what they wanted to follow. A cat without true loyalty, who changed Clans readily for every whim. Eveningbreeze planned on making Fallingsnow leave. She told her cats to make Fallingsnow unwelcome. They did what they could. Glares, not talking, ignoring, or just snarls. Fallingsnow did seem hurt and it looked to be working. Eveningbreeze could wait.

When they got back to camp, Kinkstar announced that Fallingsnow was now a ShadowClan warrior. Her supporters chanted her name. Eveningbreeze growled as Fallingsnow followed them into the warrior den. She glared at the tabby as she laid down with her uncle, Darkfire. Eveningbreeze laid down with her siblings. Something had to be done before Fallingsnow became a part of the Clan and even Eveningbreeze's supporters got used to the new warrior. She'd have to get Deepforest.

**_-Line-_**

I stayed near ShadowClan. They didn't see me. Eveningbreeze had taught me shadow walking well. I knew how to hide. And I knew how to hide my scent. I'd roll in the scent markers of ShadowClan, taking on their scent and blending in. They never noticed me, not even when I sat near camp watching them. I learned many critical things I hadn't realized before. First, that Fallingsnow had entered ShadowClan (which made me really happy because I could speak to her once Eveningbreeze had taken over and tell her that I loved her), two that not every cat supported Eveningbreeze like I'd thought, and third, that Eveningbreeze was getting really angry with everything. I followed her when I could. I saw her strike out at her brother when she just couldn't take it anymore, when she missed her catches. It kept him stuttering, so I wondered if she was doing it on purpose. It made me start worrying about my companion. She really wasn't right in the head. I knew I couldn't trust her to lead the Clan. Eventually the Clan would go against her. I had to help her keep control and maybe finally I'd be complete leader, Fallingsnow ruling at my side. I couldn't wait.

I sat in my tree a few days after the Gathering. I had a really good view from up there. No one saw me at all. I'd even created a nest in the tree. Of course I was a bit nervous I might fall down at some point in the night and break a leg. I was scared a ShadowClan cat would find me and kill me in revenge for killing their former deputy. When ever I felt that way I'd go to my ground den, just out of the territory. That was my other safe place, but I didn't stay their for long. I couldn't stay there so long, not knowing what was going on. It was horrible not knowing. So I'd come back again, watching and following, excited as I realized these would soon be my cats. When would Eveningbreeze come? She said in a moon, but still I was impatient. that was another half moon to go! I had to give her a sign that I wanted her.

I found something unusual, a flower that seemed to poke out of the snow and I pulled it out. I brought it to the camp and left it outside the entrance. Then I got two sticks and placed them upright in the snow. Hopefully she saw it first. If not then some other cat would wonder what was going on.

Luckily she came out of the den after a few cats. They'd looked at the odd sight and just walked on. Maybe they thought some cat was playing tricks on them. But when Eveningbreeze saw my mark she stared at it with suspicion. She looked around, her eyes narrowed and then approached. She lowered her head and breathed in deep. I watched her smell for me.

Her mouth closed and she looked around. She knew It was me. I watched her knock down the sticks and scrub out my paw prints. She picked up the flower and shredded it, leaving the petals lying on the snow. I watched her walk off as if nothing had happened. I hurried down from my tree and ran for the place we knew best. My fox den. Though the scent was probably really faint that was the only area she knew where to find me. She'd come some time. I just had to wait. She didn't know I'd been spending all my time in her Clan territory. She'd probably thought I was long gone.

She came only a bit later than I did. She looked up at me and sighed.

"You're back."

Then she sniffed. Perhaps she was looking for other cats. I knew there weren't any. No patrols had been by and there wasn't much prey in this area.

"I've been back for a while now," I answered her.

"What?" she hissed, whipping her head to face me. "Where were you? You could have been seen!"

I was surprised that she looked worried and mad all at the same time. I smiled at her, amused.

"You taught me ShadowClan ways well," I meowed. "I've been watching your Clan. I think it's time to attack."

"It's too soon!" the dark she-cat shook her head and started pacing. "I've only been deputy for a short time. They be bound to suspect."

"I thought that didn't matter," I meowed tilting my head. "They would find out later anyway when I joined you."

She looked like she understood, but she was still reluctant. Did she actually not want me. Did she think she didn't need me? I watched her look at me and then away.

"Perhaps," she meowed simply. "Now, you should get back to stealing prey. We need ThunderClan and RiverClan distracted. Make them blame WindClan. Make them believe it was those cats that started all the rumors just so they could steal land."

So she was willing to attack with me after all. And she wasn't afraid of using me. She wanted me to distract again. I still wasn't sure I should trust her suddenly. Did she still want me co-ruling? Was she having the same thoughts as me? I knew I could be a distraction. I already had an idea.

"Are your cats in place?" I asked, wondering what she'd say. Would she lie to me?

The dark she-cat looked at me. "Of course, they are always ready."

I wasn't sure I believed her, but I decided I would. So I made a compromise. I decided when we would attack. That way I had some say in something.

"Then we attack in a quarter moon," I meowed. "I will make sure the other Clans are distracted and will not help. But we have to attack soon. We can't wait any longer. Someone might find out our plans. It won't matter what they think once we are in charge. We have to attack now that we have the chance. It's been long enough. I cannot wait until newleaf."

"Why?" Eveningbreeze jeered. "Do you have some other Clan to bother?"

"I grow bored with helping you," the I grumbled. "And without my help, you will not be Clan leader. You will remain weak."

Not only was I using her fear against her, I was making her prove if she wanted my help after all, if she'd let me rule with her. If I wasn't wanted, I'd just go back over the mountain. I wanted to see my family again. I was getting lonely and wondered what they'd been doing.

"We will attack in a quarter moon," she hissed with obvious displeasure.

"And if StarClan still remains silent," I meowed, ignoring her bad attitude, "we will be rulers of the lake."

I meant that if StarClan didn't warn Littlecloud of the danger to his leader, which I knew was a possiblity.

And that was when she surprised me.

"Eventually," Eveningbreeze agreed. She turned away, but as she went, she meowed over her shoulder, "There is no StarClan. You know that right?"

I stared after her, perplexed. A Clan cat didn't believe? I thought they all had. They were their ancestors after all. But though she didn't believe, I noticed, my belief didn't waver. I was still eager to see one some time. That was perhaps one of the main reasons I'd stuck with Eveningbreeze for so long. I wanted to see StarClan.

The other reason was Fallingsnow. I wanted to get close to her. It had waited for so long to find out if she loved me. I'd remained loyal to her, but I'd seen her with another tom. They'd walk together, laughing. I'd heard others call them mates and yet he stayed in the apprentice den and she had the warrior den. I wasn't so sure. I had to believe Fallingsnow had no love and was waiting for me. I just had to. If not, then I'd wasted three seasons. I'd wasted time I could have used to gain her heart in some other way, before Brownpaw got in our way at the Gathering I'd met her.

Later that night, up in my tree above the camp again, I watched a cat made a warrior. It was Acornpaw. He looked proud as he was given his new name of Acornpelt. I wasn't impressed with his name, but it won over being called Acorntail. What in the world would that mean?

I amused myself by putting other cat's names with different endings for the rest of the night as he sat vigil beneath me. He was looking in completely the wrong direction. He didn't realize the danger was above him and also right inside his own Clan.

* * *

**I'm moving things along swifty because this story is starting to bore me and all it is, is a recap of FIS just from a different perspective.**

**One more thing! I just came up with a plot for Fallingsnow's kits. You can see it at the bottom of my profile because it's seriously too long to put here. Just to tell you it also concerns Sunstorm from my short story "When Gifts Fail". Hope you stick around for next summer to see two new stories I'm working on!**


	26. Chapter 25: Death of a 'star

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _VioletteRose, Icethroat21, Emberheart0, nightmist of shadowwind tribe, _and _Warriors-Skywing

_I've finished the story! You can all get the ending tomorrow. Of course, I was thinking of an alternative where they actually win, but I thought that would confuse everyone. So here it is a few more chapters until the end..._

_Summery:_

_Deepforest crossed the mountain, joined RiverClan. He left them, following Eveningbreeze where she convinced him to kill a deputy for her so they could both take over ShadowClan. He agreed, intrigued by the idea. Snaketail is dead, Fallingsnow has entered ShadowClan, and Darkfire has cornered Stoneheart to make the tom reveal all that he knows. At the same time ThunderClan and RiverClan have ganged up on WindClan, certain they are stealing the prey from them. Many cats will die in the battle to come._

* * *

**Chapter 25: The Death of a Leader**

I continued Eveningbreeze's plan. I hunting in RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan. I didn't eat the prey, I just killed it and left it, making sure the Clans would see it and get angry. They were to get so mad at each other that they wouldn't notice ShadowClan at all. Eveningbreeze thought it would work. I just had to believe her.

To make sure I wasn't noticed, I rubbed in their scent markers, taking the Clans' scent on my own body. They didn't notice any other cat but their own, or else WindClan's which I usually left on and went walking in other Clan's territory. They never saw me because I was using ShadowClan techniques and I had learned much in my time alone. I knew where no cat would look. I realized the places cats avoided and tried to go there when I didn't want any trouble. I made sure the Clans didn't notice me because not only did I want to get through quickly, I didn't want to get into a fight. I did not want a repeat with the ThunderClan kits.

The days went by quickly for me. My job was easy. So when only a few days later Eveningbreeze came for me I was surprised. It seemed too early to be attacking.

I was staying at the abandoned fox den again because by now I was sure ShadowClan wouldn't come looking there for me. Really, what sort of cat went back to the area they were almost caught at? Me apparently. But I was ready. I'd dug out the collapsed second entrance, hiding the exit, and I usually stayed on the outside of the den, getting ready to run. Only at night did I go into the den, certain other cats would be asleep by that time.

"We're attacking now," the dark she-cat meowed. She didn't even stop as she strode into the clearing. "We have to do it before Kinkstar leaves on her patrol."

"Why so soon?"I asked, looking up. At the time I was laying on the ground in a band of morning sunlight. It felt good in the cold air. Newleaf was coming soon. The snow hadn't fallen for a while now.

"Because my brother is about to confess everything he knows to Darkfire," Eveningbreeze hissed angrily.

"I thought-"

Startled, I was halfway off of the ground.

"He's weak!" she screamed not caring anymore for secrecy. "I should have never trusted him. I should have killed him. You should have killed him. He was there watching while you killed Snaketail. Why didn't you end it?"

I stared at her, shocked.

"He's your brother. If I'd killed him then, you would have been angry with me. And besides, Fallingsnow was there. If I'd paused to get rid of Stoneheart, she would have recognized me."

Fallingsnow was important to me, but not only that, I was surprised Eveningbreeze wanted me to kill her brother. I would never want anyone to kill Sky or Rabbit. They were my siblings!

The dark she-cat growled. "That isn't it at all. You are lazy. You don't like doing more than you have to. Here I am working in my Clan to set things up, and you're just laying around like some elder!"

Now I felt a flash of anger go through me, but I had to calm myself. I knew that if I started arguing with her we'd get nowhere.

I breathed in deep and stared at her. I had to be the calm one for us both. We couldn't start arguing at a time like this. She wanted to attack so we would. But not in this way. She hadn't ever gotten this mad for a long time. Something had seemed to sooth her for a while, but now she was back to her erratic nature.

"I'll have you know I have not been wasting my time," he growled back at her. "I've been taking prey from those other Clans. I've left the bones scattered, the blood obvious, and the kills plain. They are angry with each other. And they are distracted. All Clans are watching WindClan and WindClan is watching them. They aren't paying any attention to small, weak ShadowClan."

I knew I was jabbing it into her, and I supposed I should have been nicer, but she had me angry. She never appreciated me!

"That's the way it should be," Eveningbreeze snapped. She was pacing rapidly. "Now come back to camp so we can take over!"

I ignored her for a time. She was starting to annoy me with her demands that she never rewarded me for. It had been almost a whole season but still we hadn't won her Clan. Her plans didn't work so well as they might have. Perhaps I could think of something better for once. At this time I actually wondered why I'd joined up with her. Sure, she had gotten us this far but she saw enemies everywhere and felt threatened. She had the connections, the cats, and the Clan, but I had the strength and ideas. I had to get us the Clan this time.

"Not so fast," I told her.

"What?" she stared at me, surprised that I was so relaxed. "Don't you see? Stoneheart is spilling all our secrets right now. If we don't go, Kinkstar will find out and stop us!"

"You said she was going on a patrol?" I interrupted before she could go on.

"Yes," she meowed, sullen. "At sun high."

"That's soon. Let's wait until after she leaves to begin."

"After? Don't you see? She won't go on patrol if she knows about us!"

She was definitely not thinking. It would have to be my turn again to do the planing for then. She'd rely on me once more.

"How long do you think it would take for Stoneheart to tell Darkfire?" I asked. "And then to speak with Kinkstar? She'll be gone by then. We, on the other paw, have a while. Now here's my plan."

I moved closer to the dark she-cat. She eagerly leaned forward while I whispered into her ear. Everything was all set. There was no more waiting.

I outlined my plan. She would go back into the Clan, wait for Kinkstar to come back to her den and kill her there. Once Kinkstar was out of sight of the Clan, Fernstripe, Redsky, and I would attack from the corners of the camp, trapping them between us. The three of us would then find the cats who were the threats, the one to fight us, not realizing they would be going against their new leader. Once we subdued them, Eveningbreeze would come out and we would wait for any cats who had been caught outside of the camp.

Eveningbreeze nodded, liking the idea. The sun passed over head. By now I was sure that sun high had arrived. It was time.

"Now, go tell Fernstripe and Redsky," I told her. "Tell them to meet me outside of the camp."

She nodded.

We quickly left my territory. We strode around the pine trees and over small clumps of snow. We were by this time confident. Perhaps foolishly so. Some cat could have seen us and rush back to camp to warn them, but no one did. We got there without meeting another cat.

"I'll be quick," she purred.

I was surprised went her tail wrapped around mine and she bumped her nose into my muzzle. She then took off. I blinked after her. What had she just done? I was surprised. What in StarClan's name had she done that for? I shrugged and waited. I hid myself under a low pine tree. I could see out, but a cat looking at me would probably only see my feet. I sat down on the mostly uncomfortable ground.

Fernstripe came some time later. I poked my head out and motioned for her. She glared at me as she came over. She still didn't have a soft spot for me.

"So what do you think of your brother giving you up?" I meowed, sounding innocent.

"I hate him," she growled, not looking at me as I made room beneath the tree. "He'll pay for this."

Her cold voice almost scared me. I felt pity for Stoneheart when this was all over. His mistake was going to cost him, but it had moved up the attack.

"Where's Redsky?" I asked, looking around after a while.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Fernstripe asked, looking so innocent. "He wasn't in camp. Eveningbreeze couldn't find him. It will be the two off us."

I almost growled at her. She'd neglected to tell me an important part. Without Redsky we were outnumbered. We'd have to work twice as hard to overcome the cats. We'd have to strike fast.

"Why are we under here anyway?" Fernstripe asked, sounding annoyed. Her tail thwacked the low branch.

Thawing snow flicked off. The smell of the pine almost became overwhelming. She winced. I'm sure the needles had punished her for her insult.

"Because if you're hiding out in some random spot, one of your Clan mates might see you. They'll distract you or ask why you're hiding, why you aren't hunting or in camp. This is safer. When we see Kinkstar coming back, you get near the camp. I'll take the other side. After Kinkstar goes into her den, you and I will attack. That will give Eveningbreeze a chance to kill her and we'll keep the Clan distracted. Okay? Don't ask anymore questions."

Her lip curled and she turned her head away from me. She was probably going to be silent after that. That didn't bother me. I hated the sound of her voice anyway.

We sat under the tree, silent, not looking at each other. Sun high slowly came and went, but the air didn't seem to get any warmer. A few clouds blew by, but it was as if leafbare had given up. Newleaf was on its way. I breathed in deep. A new season. A new Clan. A new rule. It was almost satisfying.

Then Kinkstar came. Fernstripe spotted her first. She tensed up. I felt her stiff body and turned around. Through the low, green branches, I spotted the patrol. I stayed still as they went to the entrance. As soon as they faded out of sight I stood up.

"Go," I hissed, pushing my companion. She hurried out, her short, fluffy fur brushing the needles. They left odd streaks in her tabby fur. She turned around and faced me as I came out.

"Don't attack until she goes in the den," I reminded her.

"I know that," she snapped, her eyes flashing annoyance. "I'm not mouse-brained."

I smirked. "That is debatable."

She snarled but left. I smiled again. She was so fun to rile up. I left her and hurried around the camp. I'd given that task to myself because I trusted myself to be fast enough to go all the way around in enough time. I felt Fernstripe would be too slow to get there. Kinkstar would be in the den before Fernstripe was ready if she had my position. So I raced to my spot, wishing Redsky was with us.

I got there and stared through the sparse undergrowth to the clearing below. Only a few cats were left. More patrols had to be out. I watched as Kinkstar spoke to Fallingsnow. I felt my heart jump. Fallingsnow was in the clearing. Then suddenly I felt worried. I didn't want her hurt. I quickly looked around for a better cat to fight. One that would be a threat to me if it was healthy. I spotted them. Rowanclaw, an older, experienced cat and Scorchtree, a strong tom. I had to make sure they were taken care of. Fernstripe had better target the cats she could handle. I didn't want to defend her and Fallingsnow at the same time.

The cats started to gather around Kinkstar. I watched as she had a meeting. Was I wrong? Had Stoneheart told Kinkstar what was happening? I felt worried, but it quickly left when the ShadowClan leader waved her tail and Acornpelt ran from camp, a determined, excited look on his face. I watched as he ran toward ThunderClan. My eyes watched him, uncertain what he was doing. Was he looking for help?

But Kinkstar looked unworried. She picked up her bird and started to her den. The rest of the Clan started to eat as well. Then suddenly Fallingsnow looked up. She hurried after Kinkstar, but Kinkstar had already disappeared inside of the den.

I knew it was time to attack. Before Fallingsnow saw what Eveningbreeze was doing and became a target for the dark she-cat. I rushed out of the undergrowth, yowling as loud as I could. Fernstripe was only a few seconds later.

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze didn't know what would get her to that point at this day. Just that morning Kinkstar had ordered her to take Fallingsnow out on a hunting assessment. Eveningbreeze had hated the idea, but she'd do it for Kinkstar, just to keep the leader believing her deputy was loyal, but that was before she'd seen Darkfire approaching Stoneheart. By the time Eveningbreeze realized what was going on, Stoneheart didn't see the glares she sent his way. He was captivated with whatever Darkfire was saying. Just a few nights ago she'd caught Stoneheart trying to talk with the black warrior. She'd been suspicious, but Fallingsnow and Darkfire had just seemed perplexed. Perhaps he hadn't said anything, and Eveningbreeze tried to make him seem a bit insane, but she was suspicious. He was trying to warn the Clan what was happening.

Eveningbreeze knew she had to leave at this point. Fallingsnow and Kinkstar were impatient. So Eveningbreeze led the way from camp. She walked and she walked. At that point she'd almost forgotten the tabby at her side. The she-cat was just following, trusting that Eveningbreeze would take her somewhere. Then finally, Fallingsnow got impatient.  
_  
"Let's hunt here," Fallingsnow meowed. She stopped, refusing to go farther._

_Eveningbreeze slowly turned around. Her face was hard. She watched Fallingsnow shiver as the green eyes met her own._

_"You stay here and hunt then," Eveningbreeze meowed, oddly quiet. "We both know you'd be better off without me watching. I'll go somewhere else."_

_"Okay," Fallingsnow quickly agreed, nodding her head._

_Obviously it's not for an assessment at all, Eveningbreeze thought with a flicker of annoyance. She had to have been planning with Darkfire to corner Stoneheart. But it didn't matter. She took off, going for Deepforest. Something had to be done._

Eveningbreeze shook her head. That had happened just this morning, but now was now. She was waiting for Kinkstar to come back from her sun high patrol so she could kill her. It had been a while, and Eveningbreeze didn't know what Fallingsnow did when she hadn't returned.

"I hope that she-cat is still out there, freezing," she meowed, her face a contorted grin.

Then suddenly her ears pricked. She'd heard a familiar voice.

She turned and faced the entrance of the den. Just in the circle of light Kinkstar had come. She had cats grouped around her.

Finally, Eveningbreeze thought. She shifted with impatience. Kinkstar better hurry.

Eveningbreeze wasn't scared of killing her leader. She didn't think anyone would stop her. Not StarClan or living cat. StarClan wasn't real so they wouldn't help. She was a bit nervous about killing Kinkstar nine times. But as she thought, Kinkstar really didn't have that many lives. It had to be a lie. Something to keep cats in thrall to their leader. What else made them fear their leaders could never die that there was no point in killing them? That their leader would live forever to protect them? Nine lives were a lie. But to make sure, Eveningbreeze would keep her jaws firmly around Kinkstar's throat until the leader stopped moving for a long time.

Then the pawstep's neared. Kinkstar had come.

Eveningbreeze's yellow eyes flashed. Kinkstar was just outside of the den, a bird in her jaws. Her eyes were unseeing. She'd walked this route many times. There was nothing to fear. Eveningbreeze crouched. The leader entered the den.

Eveningbreeze pounced. Kinkstar landed with a loud thump. She didn't even struggle as Eveningbreeze held down her leader and buried her face into her leader's throat. She held on tight and Kinkstar finally felt the fear go through her and started to fight. Kinkstar couldn't yowl but some other cats were. Deepforest had come.

Eveningbreeze grinned as for the first time Kinkstar went still. Blood poured down her throat and to the ground. It covered Eveningbreeze's muzzle. She held on.


	27. Chapter 26: Spread of Shadows

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 26: ShadowClan Takeover**

I hit Rowanclaw hard. He wasn't expecting it. I knocked his head with my large paws, causing him to land onto the ground, his head ringing and unconscious. By now the stunned looks on the Clan's faces left. They rushed forward to meet us. I saw out of the corner of my eye as Fernstripe tore into her mother. I wondered why. Snowbird had been loyal to Eveningbreeze. What mouse-brained reason had Fernstripe hurting someone who might help us?

By that time I didn't pay attention to her anymore. I lunged for Scorchtree. A dark gray she-cat with black ears came to protect her Clanmate. I ignored her for now. I fought Scorchtree. He wasn't bigger than me, but he was fast. He tried to get around me, but I whirled, knocking him off of his feet. He recovered, rolling away and onto his feet. I hurried after, knocking my larger shoulders into his mid-section. He winced, but quickly opened his eyes. Until that point we hadn't used claws, but they came out. He came for me, aiming for my face. I ducked, bringing my claws out. I aimed for his chest, the place I was more likely to hit than his head or legs. I clawed him as hard as I could. He stumbled.

Batwing was on my back. Her claws clenching my sides. I flipped over, pinning her to the ground. Scorchtree got up and buried his claws into my belly. I kicked him off with my back legs. I rolled onto my feet, swiping my claws over Batwing's face. She was stunned by the blow as well as by the pain. I turned back to Scorchtree who was coming back for me. I ran for him, startling him. I jumped on him and we became a ball of claws and teeth.

Somehow I managed to get the cats into a circle. They faced Fernstripe and me, exhausted, panting, and bleeding. I was probably just as bad. My shoulders were sore. I had to act like everything was all right. Not only for Fallingsnow, who I looked at with a smile, but so the rest of the cats wouldn't try to escape or fight.

"Well, well," I meowed, trying to keep the pant from my voice. "That was easy."

"You shouldn't have doubted her," Fernstripe growled in answer.

"It wasn't her I doubted," I replied, eyeing her.

Really I had. She'd pretty much fought with her mother and made an enemy of somecat that would have helped us.

Fernstripe spat at me.

I almost laughed with pleasure. Oh, that was fun.

"Keep your eyes on the prisoners," I meowed pleasantly.

She looked away as if ignoring me.

Now I looked away from her as well. She'd been dealt with. Now I had something else I'd been meaning to do for a long time. I turned to the ShadowClan cats and my eyes found Fallingsnow. As her green eyes stared into my own large eyes, I could see her pupils dilate. I felt as if I was carried away in her gaze. Then she gasped. I blinked in surprise, brought back. I was sure she recognized me.

"Hello Fallingsnow," I meowed, my voice low. I delighted in the way my tongue rolled around her name. I hoped she loved the way I said it. It filled me with pleasure when she said mine.

"Ah, hello, Deepforest," she meowed back. "How's the prey?"

She looked overwhelmed. Almost as much as the other cats when they stared between us.

"Good," I replied.

"Don't talk with the prisoners," Fernstripe hissed insolently at me, her silly form of revenge.

I rolled my head over to look at her, giving her the coldest stare I knew. I could see her eyes widen and her fur start to raise. Never had I been this serious with her, but she was interrupting an important moment to me. I was finally talking to the love of my life and she was ruining it!

I finally looked away from her.

"What is taking Eveningbreeze so long?" I wondered aloud.

Surely killing Kinkstar wouldn't take this long? Had she been injured? I wanted to look around, but I stopped myself. The conqueror and future leader couldn't look worried.

"You aren't going to succeed," Rowanclaw almost immediately spat after I spoke.

By now he'd woken up from my blow, but he had a pain-filled snarl on his face. He probably wasn't thinking straight, but he certainly wasn't going to be much of a problem to handle.

"When Tigerheart comes back with the hunting patrol, you'll be outnumbered," the ginger tom continued.

"When Tigerheart comes back," Fernstripe hissed at him, "he won't fight."

"What makes you so certain?" Scorchtree demanded.

"Because, if he does," Fernstripe gave her father a smug smile, "he'll be fighting his own leader."

I watched them, amused. I wondered if she was going to bring them over to our side that way.

"Leader?" Batwing asked.

"Yes. Me."

Everyone turned to look. Eveningbreeze had finally come. She walked from the den of the former leader, head high and tail triumphant. Her eyes blinked once and a paw went to the right just for a moment, but enough for me to see. That was a signal for it had been easy. I could see. Eveningbreeze had no scratch on her. Her face and neck were a bit bloody, but she was all right.

I smiled at her, glad that the final piece had been placed. We were now leaders. We just had to get our Clan.

"What have you done?" Scorchtree meowed, his eyes wide with horror.

The rest of ShadowClan looked horrified. Only Dapplekit looked on in confusion. She didn't know what all the excitement was about.

"Secured my place," Eveningbreeze snapped at him. "This Clan is weak! Kinkstar was a weak leader. She was making our Clan fall apart. I couldn't let that happen. Under my command, we will be strong again. All of the Clans of the lake will fear us."

I almost congratulated her. She'd said that very well, telling them why she'd done it. Hopefully they saw like her and realized what she was doing was for their own good. Maybe they wouldn't be so hard to convince. They wanted their Clan strong too, right?

"You're crazy," Brownfeather meowed.

Eveningbreeze turned on him. She bared her red teeth at him.

"Say that to my face!" she spat at him.

Fallingsnow huddled next to Brownfeather's side. I wondered why she was doing that. Of course I'd seen them together and I'd just figured they were good friends, her connection that had brought her into the Clan, but now something in me was starting to wonder. What was I being blinded too?

The dark brown tabby said nothing more, but anger still smoldered in his eyes.

"Good," Eveningbreeze meowed, her fur flattening again. "Now, let's get rid of the traitors. Fernstripe."

The light tabby gave a smug smiled and looked at the prisoners.

"Fallingsnow," she meowed looking right at the other tabby.

Fallingsnow gulped.

I stared at her. What was Fernstripe doing?

The tabby started to move forward. My heart raced.

"No," I growled.

Everyone now looked at me.

No way were they taking Fallingsnow from me. I'd done this to be with her. I wasn't going to lose her. I wasn't expecting what happened next.

"No."

**_-Line-_**

Eveningbreeze looked over. She couldn't believe it. What was he doing? He was stopping the punishment of the prisoners. Of the one cat Eveningbreeze hated the most- other than her brother at the moment.

"No?" Eveningbreeze questioned in a sickly sweet voice. He would see how wrong he was to be fighting against her. She was almost at the top. She just had to get rid of the rest of the weak links.

"I helped you. Now I'm getting what I deserve," he told her. "Fallingsnow will be my mate."

"But, I thought . . ." Eveningbreeze trailed away. She stared at him in confusion.

What did he mean Fallingsnow would be his mate? They were supposed to be mates! But she hadn't told him that. Suddenly sadness filled her whole being. She'd meant to tell him how much she cared for him, but with all the planning she'd forgotten. Perhaps he'd felt love back for her without her having to say it. She'd been believing he felt the same about her without words. Now she knew how wrong she was. Fallingsnow had won once more.

"I'll give you exactly what you deserve," Fernstripe hissed.

She took a swipe at the dark brown tabby. She'd seen how hurt he'd made Eveningbreeze. She was willing to protect her sister.

Deepforest dodged away from Fernstripe's clumsy strike and then pinned her down. There, he proceeded to bite her ears. Fernstripe yelled in pain, struggling to get out from under him. He wasn't hurting her badly, but just enough to show her who was boss. Eveningbreeze probably would have went over board if anyone did that to her.

"Enough!" Eveningbreeze growled, saving her sister.

Deepforest immediately got off of Fernstripe. The tabby got up and shook her fur out, shooting glares at the tom.

"If that's what he wants," Eveningbreeze spat bitterly. "Fallingsnow can live."

She couldn't get revenge on the warrior now. Everything seemed to be protecting the spiteful little vixen. Eveningbreeze longed to punish her some how. She watched as Brownfeather licked his rescued mate's head. Little did he realize that when Deepforest said mates, he probably meant it. She wondered what Deepforest would do once he realized how serious Brownfeather was with Fallingsnow. They'd done a lot to be together. Hopefully the thought of Fallingsnow's love being with a different cat would be punishment for now. The thought lit inside Eveningbreeze's head.

"Guard the prisoners," Eveningbreeze was meowing. "If we fight, they'll get away."

She had to keep calm while she planned what she wanted to do.

She quickly started pacing, setting the matter of mates out of her mind. She had to get the rest of the Clan some how. Eventually they'd come back like Deepforest had said. They had to realize she was in charge. Then they had to declare their loyalty.

Fernstripe and Deepforest went to opposite sides of the prisoners, but Eveningbreeze watched them send glares at each other. She ignored them. She knew some troubles had been between them. She hoped it wouldn't prevent them from working together. She needed their cooperation.

Finally the dark she-cat sat down and faced her Clan.

"Well, the rest of the traitors are out of camp," she meowed. "We can deal with them later."

"What about Brownfeather?" Fernstripe questioned. She tilted her head. "He did bring Fallingsnow into our Clan."

And Eveningbreeze had named him as a traitor before. Fernstripe still believed he was one. Eveningbreeze certainly did, but she had other plans for the warrior.

"If Deepforest gets Fallingsnow," Eveningbreeze glared at her sister, "then I get Brownfeather."

That was her punishment. Fallingsnow's first mate would live but would be with Eveningbreeze instead. Deepforest would have to put up with the sad looks of love Fallingsnow shared with Brownfeather. It wouldn't hurt Eveningbreeze. She knew she didn't love Brownfeather. There wasn't likely to be kits, she just had to punish two cats at the same time without killing them. It would be so hard.

Fernstripe looked away and nodded her head in assent. She wouldn't call for Brownfeather's death again.

Now for other matters.

"Which of you are willing to give up this foolishness and side with us?" Eveningbreeze turned to the prisoners. "Kinkstar is dead, and leadership is rightfully mine. We will bring ShadowClan back to the greatness it deserves. If you come now, you won't be punished. You won't be held prisoner any longer."

Eveningbreeze met the eyes of the cats that had once sided with her, against Fallingsnow when she was brought into the Clan: Rowanclaw, Snowbird, and even Dawncloud. Then the dark she-cat looked at the other cats. Her eyes waiting. Someone would fold. Hopefully all of them.

There was a long, silent pause. Eveningbreeze's heart raced. This wasn't possible. They couldn't all refuse! One of them had to know it was right!

"I will," Dawncloud meowed in the pause.

Everyone looked at her.

"I can't endanger my kit," she meowed quietly, not meeting their eyes.

"Good," Eveningbreeze meowed with a smile. "You may leave the circle."

Redsky would be pleased at least. His mate would be siding with him. Where was the tom? Training Hickorypaw probably. Eveningbreeze rethought about killing the beautiful apprentice. They would need more kits, and Hickorypaw was young. She could be retrained.

Dawncloud gulped, and picking Dapplekit in her mouth, left the other prisoners. No one growled at her as she left. They all could understand why she would abandon them. Dapplekit might be used against her if she argued or fought. Eveningbreeze certainly would if things got dire.

"Go to the nursery," Eveningbreeze meowed. "Leave Dapplekit and guard the prisoners with us."

Dawncloud nodded and walked away.

"I'm not sleepy!" Dapplekit protested.

"Hush," Dawncloud murmured. "Just take a nap for a while. I promise tomorrow I'll take you out of camp."

"Anyone else?" Eveningbreeze asked, looking them over. She met their eyes directly. No one replied.

She couldn't really understand it. Not even the ones who'd agreed with her before were joining her. Something had to be wrong. Then she realized. It was the murder. Kinkstar's death had surprised them. They were probably still loyal to her or else uncertain. In time they'd be used to the death, Eveningbreeze had to believe that.

For now she would wait for more warriors to side with her and she would wait for the rest of the Clan to return. They had to come back sometime. And they'd see the truth. Redsky would help convince them.

**_-Line-_**

Evening came slowly. The Clan was bored as they sat waiting. Eveningbreeze became impatient. It couldn't be this hard to come back! Something had to be wrong. Even I started to worry.

I kept my attention between Fallingsnow, who had her head on Brownfeather's belly as they laid down together, much to my annoyance, and the surrounding camp, waiting for the rest of the Clan to come back. What did Brownfeather think he was doing with my mate? It was frustrating not to have Fallingsnow by my side, but so far she wasn't for Eveningbreeze's plan.

"When are you going to the Moonpool?" Fernstripe finally asked, breaking the silence.

Eveningbreeze looked up from her fur. Her tongue hanging out just at the tip. She almost looked endearing until you realized what she was cleaning.

The blood had dried long ago, but now she cleaned it, bored with the waiting. I could see the wash made her Clan anxious and relieved all at the same time. Clearly they hadn't liked the news of Kinkstar's death at all. I was starting to realize murder probably wasn't the best way to bring them over at this point. They probably had to do it themselves, agreeing to the killing or it should have been done in secret, an accident, almost like Snaketail's murder had been. But that was the past. There was nothing we could do to change the past now.

Eveningbreeze sat up all the way and looked at her sister.

"Why should I?" she laughed, as if amused by such a question.

My ears twitched. From Mudpaw of RiverClan I knew the Moonpool was important and connected to StarClan. Laughing at it was a serious matter.

"To receive your nine lives from StarClan," Fernstripe meowed. She lowered her brow as she looked at her sister. "How else are you supposed to become Eveningstar?"  
_  
Exactly_, I wondered, interested by how leaders received their 'star' and nine lives.

"StarClan?" Eveningbreeze laughed again. "What a lie. No, I'm already Eveningstar. There is no need for me to visit the Moonpool."

Everyone stared at her, stunned at her words as she revealed her lack of belief, but I wasn't shocked over that. I was shocked that she wasn't even going to go to see the Moonpool. If she wasn't, then I certainly was. I wasn't going to give up the opportunity of meeting StarClan or becoming Deepstar. If she didn't want to be that kind of leader, I certainly would. Hopefully Fallingsnow gave up Brownfeather after seeing how much better I was than that common ShadowClan warrior.

"You laugh at StarClan?" Rowanclaw demanded, growling.

"They aren't real," Eveningbreeze looked at him. "I don't know why you all insist they are. If they were, they would have stopped me a long time ago. They would have prevented me from killing Kinkstar."

She had a point. The Clans' ancestors probably didn't want their chosen leader to die. My only thoughts on the subject was that probably they knew ShadowClan was weak and wanted a stronger cat to take over or that StarClan wanted a different leader all together and that Kinkstar was meant to die. I could only hope for the last. That that cat was me.

"What about you?" Scorchtree turned to his other daughter, wanting to know about her faith.

"Of course there's a StarClan," Fernstripe snapped at him and then looked at her sister. "Right?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Eveningbreeze meowed scornfully.

Fernstripe nodded. A thoughtful look crossed her face. She seemed to be thinking it over. Finally the loyal she-cat meowed, "You're right. StarClan is just a lie."

Of course she'd say that. She agreed with everything her sister said. I wanted to shake my head in pity. Eveningbreeze was certainly right about the tabby. I watched their parents shared a horrified look. They must have realized how far their daughters had gotten from them.

I realized then that everyone had turned their gazes to me. They must have wanted my opinion. Did I believe like Eveningbreeze and Fernstripe? I ignored them for a time. They didn't need to know what I believed. It was personal, but finally I could no longer stand their curious eyes and Eveningbreeze became annoyed of them too.

"Come on, already," Eveningbreeze snapped at me. "Tell them!"

She must have been annoyed with me as well. It probably had something to do with Fallingsnow. The trouble had started then. I wondered what it was as I answered. First I yawned as if her bothered attitude didn't affect me, then I settled a bored look on my face as I told them all what I thought. Perhaps they were surprised by my answer as well.

"They're real," I meowed simply, confirming my belief.

Eveningbreeze snorted and shook her head. Clearly she thought I was mouse-brained and foolish.

"They are," I protested. "I just haven't met one yet."

Soon I would though. I could almost guarantee it. After ShadowClan was ours, I was going to that Moonpool!

"Now that that's settled," Eveningbreeze meowed, not wanting to stay on that subject any longer. "Where are the other cats!" Her head swivelled around to stare around the empty camp.

"I'll look for them," I meowed, starting to stand. It had to be better than staying in camp for so long.

"No," Eveningbreeze meowed. "I need you here. Fernstripe, go. If you can find Stoneheart, kill him. If you find anyone else, tell them I am leader and if they give up peacefully, I won't maim them. However if they do protest, they will be missing an eye or a paw."

"That's no way to run a Clan," Fallingsnow protested. "If you want ShadowClan to be strong, you shouldn't be making them weak by hurting them!"

"They don't matter," Eveningbreeze hissed. "In the end, once I have the whole lake-"

I interrupted her. "She is right. We can't hurt them much. Now Fernstripe, go!"

Not only was I trying to stop Eveningbreeze from spilling her future plans to the cats, I didn't like the idea of hurting the Clanmates. What was she thinking? They needed support not enemies!

Fernstripe left, following her sister's orders. Soon after Eveningbreeze started a verbal war with me about how to run a Clan. She seemed to have very different ideas from my own. I'd never realized that before. Something would have to change, I thought as I stared at her. There was something very wrong with her, I was becoming to realize, or her victory was going to her head and making her too confident.

* * *

**Hmm, Troubles between Eveningbreeze and Deepforest. How will he ever convince Fallingsnow that he loves her?**


	28. Chapter 27: A Second Chance

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 27: A Second Chance**

Night birds called as evening slipped into night. Their sound echoed through the camp that had gone silent again. It was starting to get eerie. Nothing had happened for almost half a day. No one had come back and everyone was starting to get hungry and frustrated.

As the sun started to set, Eveningbreeze became uneasy. Her fur rippled and she kept looking around.

"Where is my sister," she hissed to herself.

Fernstripe should have come back with some news at this point. Maybe one of the other cats giving Fernstripe some message, a bargain, a refusal.

Deepforest shrugged in reply. His stomach growled loudly.

"I wish she'd come back with food," he meowed.

Eveningbreeze looked at him annoyance. He was different than what she was expecting. She'd thought he was a pushover cat when she'd found him. Now he was stronger, confident. She still loved him but he was so hard to tell what she wanted him to do. He didn't agree so easily anymore unless something was in it for him.

"You think with stuffing your face with all that stolen prey would keep you full," Eveningbreeze growled at him.

He had the best food out of all of them. He could hunt on any land and usually did, too. He always hunted. He didn't have Clan duties. He probably wouldn't know what to do as a co-ruler.

Deepforest didn't answer her. He just seemed amused again. Amused, but hungry.

"She should be back by now," Eveningbreeze continued.

She stood up and started to pace. She knew she had every eye on her. By now the prisoners had realized she was the cat to be wary of. Deepforest was too soft. That had been exhibited in the way to run a Clan. She was sure they thought he would be the best leader, but she'd show them!

"You're the prey thief?" Snowbird demanded, looking at Deepforest.

So they'd caught what she'd said? Eveningbreeze glanced at them and how Deepforest would handle it. Again, he was silent. She looked upward at the stars that started to come out. He could act like such a kit!

The sky was clear and starting to become a dark blue. It was beautiful and calm. She wondered if Kinkstar really was up there, a new star, looking down at her Clan. But that was foolish. Eveningbreeze shook her head. There was no StarClan, she knew that.

Suddenly she heard a hiss. Her head swivelled to the prisoners. They looked so innocently back at her. But she knew something was up. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at them. That was when out of the corner of her eyes she saw movement. Her head jerked over there just in time to see the rest of ShadowClan arrive.

"Deepforest!" she yowled. She knew he'd protect her, help her win.

But by the time he got up it was too late. They were surrounded. The Clan had come back and they didn't look happy at all.

She and Deepforest shared a glance. Her chest twitched as she moved her leg bones. He understood the gesture he'd taught her. It said wait, it said be ready. He would wait for more instruction.

"Give up Eveningbreeze," Tigerheart growled. "We know all about you."

"Tigerheart," Eveningbreeze acknowledged, looking around. "The rest of you."

Surrounding them were the last of ShadowClan: Tigerheart, Redsky, Ivytail, Acornpelt, Olivespot, Darkfire, Needlefur, and Stoneheart. Her eyes rested on her brother. He had caused all of this. If this half of ShadowClan hadn't been warned, it would have been hers.

"You've come to join me," she meowed. Her ears twisted as if in concern or surprise. Deepforest saw that and nodded. He understood that she didn't believe that either. She knew they hadn't not because they had surrounded her and looked dangerous but Eveningbreeze had to take the chance.

"Never," Ivytail spat. "You killed Kinkstar."

So that was it. They knew. They had to be dealt with.

"She was weak," Eveningbreeze meowed with an unconcerned flick of her tail. Deepforest got ready. As did the other who saw her movements. He gave her a subtle one back. He was with her.

"But we will be strong again. Now acknowledge me as your leader and we can get back to patrolling our borders. We can't trust what ThunderClan and RiverClan have been doing," Eveningbreeze tried to convince them.

"You want us to join you?" Needlefur meowed. "You've just killed our leader!"

His mother, he meant, Eveningbreeze knew. That was his sore spot.

"Not your leader," Eveningbreeze growled, her eyes boring into his. "You aren't a part of this Clan. Neither are you," She whipped her head to look at Darkfire. "You two will leave."

If she could let that hope go through them, just make them think if they left and went back to Summerheat Camp she'd let them. If they just went away and let this happen, everything would be fine. Returning to their true Clan was sure to convince them and make them look the other way. Of course when they were far away and the Clan was on her side, she'd have to make sure they didn't bring back any help to retake ShadowClan again. It would stay hers if it was the last things she did!

Eveningbreeze watched as the angry faces faded to confusion. She certainly wasn't acting defeated or outnumbered. She was acting like she knew everything was fine and that she would win in the end. Really she was scare stiff, but she had to make them think otherwise. They couldn't have that advantage over her.

"We won't be going," Darkfire meowed to her after a while. "Not until you have been dealt with."

"I don't think so," Eveningbreeze growled. That was the last straw. It was time.

She twitched her tail. No one had noticed that she'd been communicating with Deepforest. With the last twitch he knew it was time. Deepforest jumped forward, over the prisoners' heads, and landed right on top of Tigerheart, the strongest tom in the Clan. The two dark brown toms fought Eveningbreeze, meanwhile, bowled into Olivespot seeing her as the greatest threat. She was a loyal cat of Darkfire and a strong she-cat with experience.

"Redsky!" Eveningbreeze shouted, encouraging him.

She slammed her clawed paw into Olivespot's neck. Redsky had hesitated though he'd seen the signal. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to fight, but now he joined in. He turned on Darkfire who he'd been closer to, but there was no challenge. Darkfire was so much larger and intimidating compared to a regular ShadowClan tom.

Olivespot choked. Eveningbreeze slammed again, forcing her back. She leaned forward to take a chuck out of the tortoiseshell she-cat when Rowanclaw yowled a command. The rest of the cats joined into the battle. Except Stoneheart who ran out of camp, terrified.

Eveningbreeze was on her back legs towering over Olivespot when she was slammed into from behind. Brownfeather had his claws in her back. He forced her down, taking out his anger on her. She snarled at him, turning on him. He wasn't ready for her flexible twist as she bit his ear. He shrieked and released her. Olivespot took advantage, forcing Eveningbreeze's back legs to stay on the ground. She flipped for the other she-cat but Brownfeather was back, paws on her shoulders. She was pinned at an uncomfortable angle.

She glanced around and saw that Deepforest hadn't managed any better. He was surrounded by many cat. He growled at them, his tail large and lashing angrily but with a glance at Eveningbreeze, he started to relax. She glared at him. He shouldn't have given up that easily!

Finally some one let her up, but guards were placed around her. She watched as the former prisoners spoke with Tigerheart and his cats.

"What did you do with Fernstripe?" Snowbird asked Tigerheart. She limped over, her white fur covered in blood a new notch in one of her ears.

"Left her with Littlecloud and Flamestreak," he answered as he cleaned off his own matted fur. "We caught her coming out of camp."

"How long have you been aware of what's been going on?" Rowanclaw demanded.

That was exactly what Eveningbreeze wanted to know.

"Just this sun high," the dark tabby tom answered.

"How?"

Tigerheart rested his gaze on Darkfire. The black warrior's tail twitched at Needlefur.

"First," he meowed, "get the medicine cats back. We need to be taken care of."

Needlefur nodded and quickly left. Eveningbreeze felt envious at how easily he could order cats to do what he wanted. Darkfire didn't realize how easily he could take over the Clan at this time. They'd listen to him, the big hero.

"You might as well tell them now," Tigerheart meowed, after the short pause.

Eveningbreeze wondered what Darkfire was hesitating to say.

Darkfire nodded in agreement. "Stoneheart--" he started and then looked around.

Eveningbreeze looked too. She couldn't see her traitorous brother anywhere.

"He left when Eveningbreeze ordered the attack. He'll probably come back after he realizes we aren't fighting. Go on," Fallingsnow meowed, impatient for the story.

Darkfire looked down at her and started.

"He told me all about the plan when I asked him. He was hesitant to say, scared about Eveningbreeze and Fernstripe," his eyes flickered to Eveningbreeze in contempt.

She glared back, hating him and Stoneheart.

Darkfire continued the story, saying how Stoneheart knew Deepforest and Eveningbreeze had met, the plan, Stoneheart's part in Snaketail's murder, and everything else Stoneheart had confessed. Eveningbreeze's anger grew with every word. He had given her up. Not caring. The moment she got away, he was going to pay!

"So we started back to camp," Darkfire explained to the cats in the ShadowClan camp after he was done. "But by then you were captured. Tigerheart found us and we explained what was going on. Stoneheart was shocked Eveningbreeze had moved up the attack. We found the rest of ShadowClan and told them everything. We planned your rescue since then. We knew Eveningbreeze would wonder where everyone was as might send someone out. When Fernstripe came, Olivespot and Ivytail caught her. We gave her to the medicine cats to look after. Acornpelt found us before that."

Everyone looked at the new warrior. The almost-tortoiseshell tom looked grim and he was covered in dried mud.

"RiverClan and ThunderClan are attacking WindClan," he told them.

"What?" Everyone but Tigerheart's group was surprised.

Eveningbreeze wasn't as much, she had been expecting something like that to happen, but not so soon. It was luck the battle had starting during Eveningbreeze's take over.

She looked around in scorn. Some takeover. It hadn't succeeded. She was now a prisoner. Leader no longer. Her rule hadn't lasted through the night. It had failed and it wasn't likely to work anymore. Her whole Clan was against her, with Darkfire and Tigerheart. They would never trust her again. They didn't see how weak they were. They'd die without her but they didn't seem to care. They'd rebelled against their rightful leader.

Eveningbreeze wasn't paying attention to what was going on, but Fallingsnow seemed to be demanding something. Then the medicine cats came back. The dark she-cat's attention was drawn to them.

"Where's Fernstripe?" Tigerheart demanded.

"She ran," Littlecloud meowed, shaking his head. "We weren't expecting it. She got away."

Eveningbreeze looked surprised. A hope blossomed inside her. Something had gone right after all. Someone was still free. Eveningbreeze's face hardened. She would join her sister. They could try again later. Another Clan perhaps?

Eveningbreeze sprang into action, not even preparing Deepforest for what would happen. If he had any sense, he'd join her once he realized what she was doing.  
Eveningbreeze rammed into Batwing, her guard. The gray she-cat stumbled. Eveningbreeze quickly took the advantage and ran away. She bounded for the camp entrance her eyes only on that until a dark cat got into her way.

She didn't pause. This was her only chance. She took a giant leap over him and felt pain in her gut.

Eveningbreeze was thrown from the air. She landed on the ground. Her feet tried to get under her, but it was as if the strength had gone out of them. They couldn't hold her. She collapsed on the ground. The pain grew and so did the feeling of weakness. Her belly felt wet. She tried to look, but her legs twitched.

"What?" she asked.

She tried to stand but fell.

"We can't let you escape and join your sister," Scorchtree meowed coldly, Eveningbreeze looked over at him. Blood was on his paw. He'd done this to her.

She felt no anger, only surprise, and slowly even that feeling faded. Panic filled her as her eyes went black. Her teeth clenched as the pain almost became overwhelming. She didn't know what was happening!

Then there was nothing. The pain was gone, the sights and sounds of the camp was gone. There was only darkness.

Eveningbreeze blinked her eyes. Large trees towered above her into a hazy gloom. The air was tangy as if a fire burned somewhere. There was no light anywhere. Eveningbreeze was so startled at still being alive that she didn't realize her wounds were gone. She had passed into the Dark Forest.

* * *

**And truly her reign has ended. At least until **Unknown Skies**. But what will happen to our main narrator? What is going to happen to Deepforest?**


	29. Chapter 28: Betrayed

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Oops, did I say I was going to post this yesterday? Oh well, you get it now anyway, I was caught up with things._

_Thanks to my reviewers:_ Icethroat21, VioletteRose, Warriors-Skywing, _and_ Emberheart0

_They can have Dapplekit and/or Acornpelt plushies as thanks for their dedication in reading and reviewing this story._

* * *

**Chapter 28: Betrayed**

I stared at what was the left of my partner. She was dead. She'd bled from her belly, from the wound her own father had given her. The end had been quick, but so sudden I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't expecting her to flee. I'd thought she'd wait. Her Clan wasn't likely to kill her! No cat did that out right it wasn't part of the warrior code. Living with Riverclan had taught me that. They had rules for StarClan's sake, and yet this proved me wrong.

My eyes darted to Scorchtree. He'd killed his daughter. He didn't looked sad at all, just cold. My eyes went back to Eveningbreeze. She was so much different now that she was dead. She just lay their her strength and energy gone. The cat I'd known for the longest and could call my friend was gone. She'd passed on. To StarClan? I wondered. Something in me shrank at the idea.

I didn't know what was going on in the Clan as I stared at Eveningbreeze's body. I was just so stunned and lost all time. Her death was actually dawning on me. I felt something in me give just a little bit. I was horrified and sad all at the same time. I didn't know what to do! Would they come for me next?

And then I heard my name. It was spoken by the cat that meant to me more than Eveningbreeze. I looked over at Fallingsnow, her voice a perfect chime, clear through the horror my life had just become.

"We don't have to fight," Fallingsnow meowed. "We can give them Deepforest."

I wondered what she was talking about. What had the Clan been saying? I wracked my memory. Something about WIndClan and RiverClan and a battle and stopping it? I opened my mouth to protest. What was she doing?

"We can tell them he's been stealing the prey. We can let them deal with him. That way we doing have to," she continued as if I was not there.

"Like with Sol," Rowanclaw nodded. "ThunderClan gave him to us and we dealt with him."

By ShadowClan's fierce grins I could tell that wasn't good, and then I remembered Sol and what I knew of him and what RiverClan had said ShadowCLan had done with him. I shivered.

"Look," Fallingsnow meowed. "I'll lead the healthiest cats over there. We can give Deepforest to them. Then we only have to worry about Fernstripe. She should be easy to find."

I stared at my tabby. She didn't look at me. It was as if I wasn't there. She didn't realize what she was saying, surely?

Rowanclaw agreed to her demands and a few cats volunteered. They surrounded me. I hissed at them. I startled Fallingsnow and Batwing, but Darkfire nudged me forward, not putting up with my useless threats.

They forced me from the camp. We left the tattered ShadowClan far behind. On the way to WindClan I tried to escape when I could, bounding over their heads, or ramming into them. But there was just to many of them. Many strong cats. Fallingsnow had known what she was doing when she selected the cats. My heart seized when I thought of her. Why had she betrayed me like this? I had saved her life, shown how much I loved her, but she was giveing me over to die? Didn't she love me at all?

They led me past the lake and to the WindClan moor. As we neared, I stopped struggleing. I had to be patient. They were too warry for now. As we got closer, fear made my limbs shake. Still in my head I could see Eveningbreeze's death and hear Fallingsnow's words _"We don't have to fight. We can give them Deepforest."  
_  
Did I know nothing of my Fallingsnow after all?

* * *

I've looked at love from both sides now  
from give and take, and still somehow  
It's love's illusions I recall  
I really don't know love at all  
-Joni Mitchell: Both Sides, Now

* * *

We got quickly over the border. As we topped the rise, growing ever closer to the cries of battle I tried one last thing I could think of doing. Reasoning. Surely they felt pity in their hearts somewhere for me?

"Please don't do this. I'll leave. I promise. I don't want to take over the Clan."

I'd go home. See Rabbit and Sky again, tell them everything I'd done and never cross the mountains again. If only they'd let me go!

"Yeah right," Batwing purred dangerously. "You wanted to with Eveningbreeze. What made you change your mind? Just because she's dead? I doubt she would have done any of this if you hadn't come."

I shrank away from her. She had no sympathy.

"Batwing is right," Tigerheart meowed. "We can't trust you. You would just come back."

"I wouldn't," I protested, pleading.

I cast my eyes on them, looking for one face that was concerned that would weaken. I looked at Fallingsnow. She quickly glanced away.

"You killed Snaketail," Darkfire reminded the other tom. "ShadowClan can't let that go unpunished. Perhaps WindClan and the others will be lenient on you."

It was as if he was trying to reasure me. But his voice held no convcition. Besides he wasn't letting me go. His words did not help me.

"Let's go," Fallingsnow meowed. "The sooner we do this, the sooner we get back to camp and can repair it."

I looked at her. She didn't even care about me. Just lets get back to camp and repair it! I was so confused. Everything I knew about her had changed. She caught my look and turned away. She continued to lead the patrol she'd formed to my doom. I couldn't feel hate for her, just confusion. I'd done this for her but she didn't know it. My mind went back to Eveningbreeze's death. One last jump, one last try and she'd been brought down. That was mine. There was no more hope for me.

We crossed the rise and looked down into battle. Down into the WindClan camp. The sight took my breath away. Never had I seen so many cats before. Never had I heard so much pain or seen so much death. Many cats lay on the ground unmoving, overs moved though they should have been on the ground. Fur and limbs hung. Bones were bared to the air. It was a massacre.

The cats with me seemed to think the same.

"Stop this!" Fallingsnow shrieked, horror in her voice and more emotion than I'd ever heard.

None of the fighting cats heard her. Darkfire took over.

"Stop!" Darkfire roared.

His deeper voice carried farther and the cats nearby hesitated. They only glanced at him and the cats on the bank before fighting again. More cats could be good or bad for them and they'd just have to see whose side the newcomers would support.

I almost hoped they ignored us and the ShadowClan cats let me go. But it was not to be.

"We have to find the leaders," Fallingsnow meowed.

She was determined to see my end. I felt sadness. I closed my eyes and didn't watch as Darkfire arranged the guards around me. He placed the larger cats in front, smaller cats behind.

"Hickorypaw, Tigerheart," Darkfire meowed. "Stay in front of Deepforest. Batwing, Fallingsnow, the back. Scorchtree take the very back. Deepforest. You'll be the safest at the middle so don't go anywhere."

I blinked at him and gulped. We were actually going in there? What was the matter with these cats. We would all die! I'd never seen this much devistation in my life before! Why did we have to go down there?

"Let's go," Darkfire meowed after calmly meeting my gaze.

He took the front and led the way, pushing cats out of the way. I noticed that as we went many cats fell from exhaustion and pain. Even Darkfire yelling scattered them. Some didn't move again.

After a long while we reached the center of the heaving mass. I saw the leaders fighting each other. Onestar was pinned by Firestar as Leopardstar clawed her adversary's legs. It looked brutal. They had to have lost lives.

"Firestar!" Darkfire yelled. "Leopardstar!"

The two leaders looked up. Onestar shoved Firestar off of him. They stood facing the ShadowClan cats.

"You've come to help?" Onestar demanded, looking at them anxiously.

He needed it badly. Everyone was against him. I nervously realized why as Darkfire and Fallingsnow continued.

"We've come to help," Darkfire agreed.

"Good," Onestar meowed, his eyes looking around at what his camp had become. Before he could say more Fallingsnow spoke.

"We are here to stop this battle," Fallingsnow meowed, pushing her way forward.

"And how are you going to do that?" Leopardstar demanded. My former leader looked as if she'd attack us. She obviously didn't want any interferrence.

"We have the prey thief," Fallingsnow meowed.

The leaders blinked at her.

"We all heard him confess it," Fallingsnow meowed. "He and Eveningbreeze had it all planned out that you'd fight and they'd take over."

"Who is this traitor?" Onestar demanded.

My heart almost stopped. That was me. They were giving me over so quickly.

"First stop the fight," Fallingsnow meowed calmly.

Leopardstar looked annoyed but nodded. She quickly raised her head and sent up a yowl. The other leaders quickly joined her. The cats fighting wound down to stillness. The gaunt, bleeding cats looked at us, chests heaving. Many just layed down. They'd done all they could. They'd been fighing for a long time.

"They have the prey thief," Leopardstar called out. "We are not going to fight again."

"Who is it?" a WindClan cat called out. The voice too harsh to distinguish.

"Well?" Leopardstar turned her eyes on Fallingsnow.

"Deepforest." She waved her tail and the cats in front of me stepped back. "The cat that also killed Snaketail."

"Deepforest?" Leopardstar looked at me. She was stunned. Her eyes looked over me in confusion.

I felt everyone's eyes on me. I could feel their hate. It made me uncomfortable. I shifted, uncertain. Cats started to growl behind me. I knew that if I turned, I would see it was mostly RiverClan. They'd known me and my actions were a betrayal on their part.

"We have brought him here to you," Fallingsnow continued, "so you can judge him. He has hurt your Clans as well as ours."

She was just giving me up! My fur prickled.

The leaders looked at the ShadowClan cats in silence for a long time. It was as if they were trying to figure out if they were lying. I sat and waited for the desision.

_Please say no thank you_, I pleaded.

Finally Firestar heaved a sigh. "Onestar, I am sorry. I was wrong to attack your Clan."

Onestar nodded his head, but still looked extremely angry. He turned his gaze on Leopardstar, waiting for what she had to say.

The golden tabby muttered something. It could have been an apology. Onestar knew that was all he'd get from her.

"I accept," he meowed. "I will take Deepforest. My Clan has been the most affected by this rogue. We will give him the punishment."

I gulped as the other leaders nodded. I guess I was hoping Leopardstar would vouch for me take me back in, give me some simple punishment. She was my other other help. Fallingsnow wasn't at all caring like I'd thought.

"ThunderClan," Firestar raised his voice. "Back to camp."

He started walking. Then he hesitated. "The severely wounded. Can they be left here for the night? I'll give you Toadheart to help."

Onestar looked angry at the thought but with a curled lip he nodded. He didn't have to let them stay, but now Firestar would owe him something. At least I thought so.

"You will have Willowshine and herbs from me," Leopardstar offered. Then she swept her cats up. However I noticed many left behind. But in her ranks I saw the pale brown fur of Mudpaw. She never once looked back.

Onestar, now with a tired look on his face, looked at the ShadowClan cats. He was left with the devestation and all of the wounded cats. It would be a hard night for him.

"I will take him from here," Onestar meowed.

"Do you want us to stay?" Tigerheart offered. "We can help."

"No," Onestar shook his head. "You've done enough."

"Then we will go," Tigerheart meowed. He dipped his head.

Onestar returned the gesture.

ShadowClan left my side then, leaving me open to the gaze of the WindClan leader. The warmth left my side as a cold breeze whipped around me. I gulped as I stared at Onestar.

He hissed at me. He waved his tail and a few cats surrounded me. I could see their wounds and smell the blood as it covered them. They almost swayed on their feet.

"In the morning you will be dealt with," Onestar meowed, his voice hard. Then he turned away to help his cats.

The guards with me stayed right there. We didn't move at all. But as the leader left me, the hope blossomed again. I wasn't going to die. Not yet. There was still a chance, I thought. I was not down. Not like Eveningbreeze. I would survive.


	30. Chapter 29: Conquering Fear

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Let's hear from a different cat now. Give it up for Stoneheart!!! Our last ShadowClan link!_

And the ground caved in between where we were standing  
And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve  
--New Divide by Linkin Park

* * *

**Chapter 29: Conquering Fear**

Fear comes in, defeating good intentions, plans, and leeching strength and courage. Stoneheart knew fear well. It had held him back for so long but finally he'd seen rescue. He'd defeated the fear for a short time under the belief that strong Darkfire would always be there to save him. He'd told Darkfire everything. He'd believed Darkfire could solve everything, stop Eveningbreeze, and make sure ShadowClan would not be destroyed.

"But I was too late," Stoneheart meowed, his voice quavering.

He was too late because by the time Darkfire learned the truth, Eveningbreeze had attacked and taken over the Clan. Kinkstar was dead. It was too late. Even Tigerheart and his band, the only ShadowClan cats out of Stoneheart's sister's hold, was too late. Eveningbreeze had taken control. The old ShadowClan was dead. Eveningbreeze was confident and when she was confident, Stoneheart knew she'd won. That whatever she had would stay hers or had worked to further her goals. When she was pleased, that meant things were bad for everyone else.

Stoneheart knew that, so when Tigerheart and his band thought they'd captured her, he was worried. She hadn't been scared. She was confident enough to fight again. When she attacked the rebel cats, Stoneheart knew it was time to get out of there. He retreated, leaving the ShadowClan cats fighting. Eveningbreeze would kill him after she defeated her opponents. Stoneheart had to get far away. Even hiding in another Clan couldn't save him. She'd find him there and kill him. Stoneheart was leaving the lake and the Clans all together. He fled from the camp the moment his sister sprang for Olivespot.

Now he was walking, long after nightfall. He hadn't gone far before realizing he didn't know where to go. Now he thought about it. He could go over the mountains, but Deepforest had come from there. Stoneheart didn't want to meet any Clan he came from. Stoneheart knew he could also go across ThunderClan and WindClan and find Summerheat Camp, but that would take too long. His last option was, because he wasn't going back into ShadowClan to retreat to the Tribe of Rushing Water, was going past the twoleg-places along the border where the two kittypets lived. He didn't know what lay in that direction, but it had to be safer than staying in ShadowClan or traipsing through two enemy Clans. He would go there and find whatever he could to live off of.

Without looking, the gray tabby turned and plunged through the forest as fast as he could, which was why he wasn't expecting the cat to come barreling into his side.

Stoneheart was knocked over, stunned by a tight bundle of light tabby fur. He didn't know what happened until Fernstripe got off of his side and with bared teeth spat at him in anger.

"You," she growled "You betrayed us!"

Stoneheart stared at her in shock. How had she gotten away from the medicine cats?

Fernstripe had been sent to find Tigerheart and his patrol and to bring them back to the Clan. Tigerheart had captured Stoneheart's other sister, getting information from her about what Eveningbreeze was up to. Fernstripe proudly told him that Kinkstar was dead and Eveningbreeze was in charge and that they had to give up and join her because Eveningbreeze was now their leader. Tigerheart had refused, along with the other cats, much to Stoneheart's surprise. He stared at Redsky and wondered what the mottled brown tom was doing. He'd promised to help Eveningbreeze. Why was he turning against her? Because Redsky refused Fernstripe, Stoneheart decided not to warn Darkfire and Tigerheart about him, which could have been one reason why no one was expecting Redsky to attack with Eveningbreeze. Fernstripe, meanwhile, was given to Flamestreak and Littlecloud to hold until after ShadowClan was won back. Tigerheart then led his cats back to camp, not to give up, but to fight.

Now Stoneheart stared into his sister's raging yellow eyes and fear grew inside of him. It paralyzed his limbs and he seized up, unable to move at all.

"You will pay for all of the failure," Fernstripe hissed.

Down came her claws. Stoneheart flinched, his eyes closing just in time for her to claw open his face. Sharp pain made him gasp. His eyes flew open as the blood welled up. One eye didn't open all the way. He blood had started to fill it. His sister had almost blinded him. Fernstripe started at Stoneheart in satisfaction.

"You will die," she told him calmly. "Eveningbreeze told me I could kill you. Now I will, but first you'll learn why you shouldn't have told Darkfire anything."

She came back, grasping his front paw in her mouth and pulled. Stoneheart winced as she pulled his limb back behind his spine. He started to struggle. Her jaws tightened, breaking into his flesh. He whimpered and stopped moving. His mind had already gone back to the other times as a kit and for the first few moons of apprenticeship. Fernstripe and Eveningbreeze had ganged up on him, hurting him many times. He never knew why they enjoyed his pain or kept doing it, but he'd learned that if he stayed still and didn't struggle, that they'd hurt him less. That they were unlikely to draw blood. It was when he fought, tried to get away, or protested that they'd rip him. So Stoneheart learned to stay still and accept what his sisters did to him and wait for the end.

He was starting to do that now, but what she'd said was in his mind. He'd die at the end of this. There would be no more life. No more other times.

Fernstripe continued her administering. She broke his paw, his tail, ripped out his claws, tore off an ear, and clawed his legs almost to uselessness, and finally she came for his throat. As she did that, Stoneheart unfroze. She wasn't holding him, confident he'd just stay still like he had been. That gave him the chance. He scrambled to his paws, his legs almost collapsing from the agony, but he forced himself on. Fernstripe was still, stunned that he'd done that. That gave him the opportunity to get a headstart. He didn't know where he ran, but he fled to get away from her. If he died in the act, at least he had ended his pathetic life trying to survive and not cowering in fear at her claws like he'd always done. He ran but he was not fast. Every step sent thorns through him and blood dripping in a long trail.

He hadn't gone far when he felt her claws at his heels. They were starting to grasp to dig into his fur. A burst of speed trickled to his limbs and he shot forward, and then it was as if the ground lurched. His back legs fell through the ground. His heart pounded in fear and his eyes widened as his back legs started to sink. His front paws scrabbled for a hold on the ground in front of him. That managed to pull him away. His back legs pulled from the weight and hit firm ground. Stoneheart whirled around.

Chest heaving, he stared onto an indentation. Fernstripe was nowhere to be seen. Stoneheart searched but could neither smell nor see her. Finally he looked at what he'd almost fallen into. The dirt was churned as if a giant paw had scooped it up and dumped it back without patting it down. Finally Stoneheart knew Fernstripe had been buried. She was down in that collapsed dirt, suffocating. Stoneheart felt cold. He knew he should try to dig her out, not only was she a Clan mate, but she was his sister. His face hardened as he stared into Fernstripe's grave. He slowly turned away, his eyes now staring straight ahead.

He walked away, without looking back. He left her there. He walked, realizing he was going back to camp. Eveningbreeze might be there, but he had to see what had happened. Had she won like she wanted? He wondered what she'd do without her sister, her greatest follower. Fernstripe had followed Eveningbreeze's order to her death. Surely someone would repay her misplaced loyalty or think of her.

Stoneheart made it back to camp. He pushed through the entrance and looked. Eveningbreeze was the fist cat to meet his eyes. They made him freeze in fear. She was still here. He didn't notice anything but her still body until another cat rushed up to him.

"Stoneheart! Stoneheart!" the cat cried, running to him and halting before him.

He broke the siblings' gaze. Stoneheart looked out of the mottled fur of Acornpelt and into the smaller cat's eyes. They looked back at him in terrified concern. He didn't realize how haunted his eyes looked. He glanced back at his sister finally realizing she wasn't among the living.

Eveningbreeze lay out in the middle of the camp, the ground soaked red beneath her. Her legs were splayed as if in a bad landing. Stoneheart looked into her blank, startled eyes. Clearly she'd been caught by surprise.

"Are you all right? What happened?" Acornpelt demanded, slowly leaning forward to sniff Stoneheart.

"Fernstripe," Stoneheart got out. "She found me and--"

He couldn't say anymore. His ears went back and he felt himself sitting on the ground. The fear had come back again.

"Littlecloud! Get over here!"

By now Stoneheart had drawn a crowd the other cats of ShadowClan came over, wondering what had happened.

"Where is she now?" Rowanclaw asked calmly, trying to get Stoneheart's attention back.

"The g-g-ground-d," Stoneheart got out, his teeth chattering. "It sw-swallowed her."

The cats shared glances. Clearly they thought more was wrong than just his body.

"Clear out," Littlecloud ordered, coming near.

The other cats quickly went away, finding other things to do, like fixing the camp walls, and even removing Eveningbreeze's body. Stoneheart kept glancing at her as they unceremoniously dragged her away. He also noticed not all cats were in the camp. Many were missing. Had they died too?

"Stoneheart?"

He looked back. Rowanclaw was still there. Though the older tom had a painful look on his face, he was waiting for Stoneheart to speak.

"What happened to Fernstripe?"

"The ground collapsed," Stoneheart meowed again, looking between Littlecloud, who was trying to stop the bleeding and Rowanclaw. They had to believe him. He wouldn't be considered crazy again. He couldn't stand it!

"But how?" Rowanclaw asked, sounding frustrated.

Stoneheart's head lowered. He didn't know how.

"Do you remember the trouble WindClan and ThunderClan had with some tunnels seasons ago?" Littlecloud asked, pausing in his work. He looked over at Rowanclaw. The ginger tom slowly nodded. "One of those had to have fallen in."

"You're saying we have them under our territory as well?" Rowanclaw demanded, sounding offended by the idea.

"Why not?" Littlecloud asked. "We are uphill. If RiverClan has any, they're filled with water."

"What happened to everyone?" Stoneheart interrupted them. He glanced around the camp.

Rowanclaw and Littlecloud shared a glance again. Finally Rowanclaw explained.

"Eveningbreeze attacked us, but we stopped her and Deepforest. They were captive for a while when Darkfire explained what you'd done to help us. Then Eveningbreeze tried to escape. Scorchtree stopped her. Fallingsnow decided that we would take Deepforest to WindClan. She believed that would stop the battle. They'll be back sometime. If the other Clans don't tear them to pieces." Rowanclaw looked over in the direction of WindClan. He looked concerned.

Stoneheart couldn't think of anything else to say. Rowanclaw left to supervise Kinkstar's body as it was taken out of her den and laid out. She was getting a sort of a vigil. Unlike Eveningbreeze. Stoneheart felt no sadness for his sister, but there was an emptiness. It felt as if she really wasn't dead at all, that she'd come back to order him around, call him a mouse-brain, or kill him like she wanted. The thought sent shivers through him. His aches came back to him, reminding him how much he really was wounded.

Littlecloud looked over in concern. He told Stoneheart to wait while he went to get some herbs. He came back with poppy seeds and a few other things Stoneheart didn't recognize. Stoneheart quickly licked up the seeds and a soft haze settled in his head. He sat, content, not really aware of what was going on. He just moved as Littlecloud ordered.

And then some cats came through the entrance of the camp. Fallingsnow had come back. Stoneheart and the others looked up. The patrol brought food back with them. Stoneheart felt their eyes on him.

"What happened here?" Tigerheart asked, the big brown tabby looking around.

Rowanclaw went on to explain. By now Stoneheart had sunk back into his haze. Everything was all right now. Eveningbreeze's influence was totally gone. Even Deepforest had been taken care of. He had nothing to fear ever again. It didn't matter to him who would take leadership of his shattered Clan. All that mattered to him was that he was finally and completely safe.

* * *

**Well if you've read FIS then you know what happens to ShadowClan next. If not then: Rowanclaw becomes leader. Fallingsnow becomes deputy. Eventually Rowan dies in acordance with the prophesy, and Fallingsnow becomes the leader. Hmm, darn I gave away the whole plot.**


	31. Chapter 30: Deepforest's Epilogue

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_So, here it is, the end. Hopefully you don't think it's lame. If it is, then tell me._

* * *

**Chapter 30: Deepforest's Epilogue**

I didn't have to wait long. My two guards grew sleepy as the night went on. Not long ago the medicine cats from the other Clan's had arrived with their herbs. They ran from cat to fallen cat, placing cobwebs and chewed up herbs. They almost seemed tireless. They didn't discriminate between Clans, helping the cat that needed them most. I watched as two of them shared quick words before trading plants and heading off again.

The night went on, and the darkness grew until the moon finally rose high in the sky. Many cats were sleeping now, too tired to do much. I knew in this instant that if a dog, fox, or badger attacked, they would not stand a chance. They would all die. And so I knew this was my chance.

I looked over at my guards. One had already been taken care of by Kestrelwing. The other hadn't, but he wasn't as worse as some cats I'd seen. I watched the guards. Their eyes drooped and their heads nodded. I didn't react, didn't show that I was aware of their drowsiness. I had until morning. Fortunately I was already acting like I was asleep. It was almost hard to act. I naturally wanted to fall asleep with my eyes closed. It had been a long, active day but I wasn't as bad as these two WindClan cats. They thought I was sleeping and that relaxed their watch on me.

Finally one started snoring. The other looked like he was in a daze. I knew it was time. I opened my green eyes and stared around me. No one moved at all. The medicine cats were looking for herbs and cobwebs or trying to rest for a time. It was safe for me to go.

I slowly got to my feet. The sharp prickle of the grass stalks off of my belly and legs now. They didn't crackle with my movement for which I was grateful. Once I was standing, I looked around once more. The only cats awake were at the other end of camp and they looked like they were having a hard time staying awake too. I watched their shadowed heads nod down and then jerk up. I didn't observe them for long, fearful my guards might awaken. I ran. I rushed passed the long-haired white tom. I ran through the bodies of wounded cats, no fear of them suddenly attacking, and I ran toward the lake.

What was I doing? I was running back to ShadowClan. Why? Because I was going home. I was going back over the mountain and the only way I knew how to do that was to go back over the path I'd come. It was certainly safer now. Less snow, more prey, and it was too dangerous for me to stay on this side fo the range. I had to get home.

The shout came up behind me just as I reached the rise. I glanced over my shoulder and saw three cats racing after me. Despite their wounds, they were trying to get me and they were running hard. I turned around and sped up. My paws churned along the grassy, hard, cold ground, brushing over the dead grass. I wasn't sure when the WindClan territory ended but soon my paws were slipping on smooth rocks along the lake shore. They clinked together at every paw step. The black, slow waves rushed before me, a drone in the background of the night. I looked around and ran for the forest, the water on my left shoulder. I didn't hear any pursuit. They must not have gotten to the lake shore.

As I ran, I realized there was a light on the horizon. The sun was starting to show up, giving bright spots and long shadows on wave tops and rocks. I had been closer to my punishment than I realized. Dawn was not too far away. I sped up, the rock crunching under my paws, forcing my self forward at every stumble.

I didn't hear my pursuers but that didn't mean they still weren't there. They could be saving their breath or traveling more cautiously. Or maybe they'd given up. I could only hope that. Hope that they didn't warn ShadowClan.

The stars glittered overhead in the blueish sky. I didn't know what they were trying to tell me but I knew that never again would I look at stars the same way. StarClan was watching me. I hoped they wanted me to get away but I had a feeling because the Clans weren't happy with me, their ancestors probably weren't. I had sent cats to them before their time.

The forest came near as did the scent of a few budding flowers coming up for newleaf. I turned as the lake leveled off. I ran for ShadowClan now. The dark shadow of the tall trees was up ahead. The familiar piney scents ever stronger.

My legs ached with the strain of sustained running. My breath came sharp and it was white in front of my face. I'd have to slow soon. I was exhausted and hungry. But not until I was under the trees. Not until I couldn't see the stars any longer. Once I was in the forest, the WindClan cats would probably never find me.

Finally I made it. The familiar smell of ShadowClan washed over me and with them the memories.

"I shouldn't have agreed to join her," I panted as I stood there, shivering with exhaustion and trying to recover.

My thoughts were on Eveningbreeze and the time I'd first entered ShadowClan on purpose. She'd convinced me she was right and I'd joined her, entertained by the thoughts of leadership. ShadowClan seemed more like home to me than RiverClan. I knew every place in the territory, every cat, and all the rules that came with living in ShadowClan. But I hadn't been living Clan ways within the code. I hadn't since I left RiverClan behind me. Perhaps if I had stayed there I would have been one of the best warriors. A warrior Leopardstar could have been proud of. She'd vouched for me at that Gathering, staying I wouldn't take over a Clan, but I had betrayed her. If I'd stayed with her, maybe Mudpaw and I could have made up. Maybe Shimmerbreeze would have been my friend instead of Eveningbreeze. But I had chosen my path for Fallingsnow and this was how she repaid me.

My thoughts turned to her as I started walking again along the ShadowClan-ThunderClan border to high up the mountain. I was going to the twoleg nest I'd met those two scared cats at. I should have listened to them, I ruefully thought. They'd warned me of the Clans. I hadn't listened.

But I cast them from my mind as I hurried along. Fallingsnow. She was still in my mind. The well-made, sleek tabby, with the crisp, soothing voice. I'd done things to get closer to her and yet I was the farthest I could ever be. Maybe if I'd been in RiverClan I could have convinced her to come to that Clan instead of ShadowClan. She would have fallen in love with me and not that Brownfeather. I knew what she had with him now. It was obvious. How she stayed by his side and smiled at him, how he returned it.

As I walked along, my only consoling thought was that she'd fallen for a dark tabby tom like myself. Maybe he reminded her of me. Perhaps her love had started for me but went for the tom that actually was with her all the time. I had lost so much with Eveningbreeze. Never again, I decided. Never again. I wasn't going to take over the Clans, talk to any of them, leave my family.

It was time to go home. I stared up the mountainside. A cliff was in my way.

"Here we go again," I meowed, reminded of my first time climbing. This time I was not going to fall. I knew what to do. I knew my mistakes and I had learned. It was time to go home.

As I put my claws on a rock, the sun lit up the sky behind me. The shadows of the trees stood sharply against the rocks in the striped pattern of a tabby cat. I closed my eyes and looked away with a sigh.

********

**Some Moons Later**

The mountain ended. Honeysuckle vines hung over the cliff and bees buzzed around them. I stared at them from my position on the ground. I had made it. I was back home. Getting down this mountain hadn't been so hard.

I turned away from the sleep incline and the jagged rocks. Piles of fallen dirt lay around me, evidence of my decent. I turned to the deep forest I called home. I turned to find my family.

Greenleaf had come again. Newleaf was a short simple affair with many flowers and prey. There was one day up on the mountain it had gotten so cold that I wondered if leafbare was back, but it had only lasted a quarter moon and was over. My way had been smooth since then. I met no more bears. I met no other cats. I just walked my way home. As I walked, my heart lightened and I left my fears behind me. No one had followed me. The scars of my mind faded. Fallingsnow's betrayal and Eveningbreeze's death became distant memories as I survived on my own, getting used to just being by myself again.

I walked back to my territory, past fallen logs and streams. I walked to the area I'd left my siblings four seasons ago. Perhaps it was too early to expect them, but I hoped it. They knew when to meet me. I'd promised them.

I walked along, the trees above me in full glory. Their large, green leaves waved in strong winds, birds twittered among the branches, and red squirrels dodged along the trucks and the ground, fighting in their silly way. It was all pleasant. It was peaceful. This forest held no horrors.

And there I saw them. They lay close together, resting in the sun high light. There was one beam of sunlight striking the ground through the thick foliage. I had rarely seen the sky after passing the mountain peak and I felt better that way. Perhaps I was hiding from StarClan but I didn't deserve to see them, not at what the things I had done to their decedents. I hoped that now that I was out of sight, I was out of their minds. I hoped they forgot about me and helped heal their cats' wounds.

"Rabbit!" I cried bounding forward, "Sky!"

Their heads came up. One dark tabby and one white face stared over at me for a long time while I gazed back at them. They had changed. Sky had a relaxed look on her face and a sleek warrior build on her body. She was no longer high-strung it seemed. Rabbit seemed less gloomy. He was actually smiling as he looked at me, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

I got to them before they could get far off of the ground. I danced around their bodies in pure joy like a kit until Rabbit came at me and pushed me down. At first I was scared, I had learned to fight and this was dangerous to lay vulnerable like this, but as Rabbit leaned down and smothered my face with licks, I relaxed. He was happy to see me.

Sky rubbed herself along my face where Rabbit wasn't. She purred as loudly as she could. Her back legs could hardly keep still.

"Little brother," she cooed.

"Let me up!" I protested.

"No way," Rabbit chuckled. "Then you'd just leave again. Off on another adventure."

"True!" I teased, laughing with them.

Rabbit didn't let me up for a while. We actually play-wrestled while Sky looked at us like we were squirrel-heads. She shook her head and looked like she'd stalk off in disgust.

Finally Rabbit was done. He released me from his strong hold and pushed off of the ground. I sat up, my fur ruffled and sticking at odd angles. I could see twigs sticking off of my pelt from the corners of my eyes.

"Tell me about yourselves," I demanded, looking at them. "Where did you go?"

I stared between them, eager to know.

They looked at each other and then Rabbit went first.

"I went to a city," he meowed, then he tried to explain what one was. "There are many no-furs everywhere and so many cats and monsters. I stayed along a dock near the large-water where the no-furs' boats sail across, bringing back fish and wares. I joined a Clowder. We stole from the no-furs when we could."

He continued to talk, his eyes shining. I stared at him. Only monsters, fish, and cats made sense to me. No-furs? Boats? Large-water? But I listened patiently, stopping myself from interrupting. Eventually he came to the end of his story when in newleaf he decided to come back. He could see my confusion and it made him a bit sad but he said he'd explain more when Sky was done with her story.

I turned to her.

She smiled at me and told me she hadn't gone anywhere at all.

"I thought I'd just stay here. There wasn't any reason to leave. It's a great territory after all. I met a few cats. They passed through but I spent time with them. Maybe sometime I'll share a few stories. Tell us about you!"

I nodded at her words and then paused. How was I supposed to explain everything? There were so many different things to cover. RiverClan, the code, StarClan, ShadowClan, Fallingsnow, Eveningbreeze. I supposed I better start at the beginning.

"I went over the mountain," I meowed. "I met many cats that lived in Clans. I tried to join one, but it wasn't for me. I met two she-cats--"

"Really?" Rabbit asked eagerly. "Did you have any kits? I know I do. They're just the cutest things! I didn't stay of course. That's the queen's job to take care of them, but one looked just like me!"

I congratulated him, but by this time my mind was on different things. He'd just reminded me of something. Fallingsnow. Her mate Brownfeather was like me right? Well, perhaps among their litter they'd have a kit like me. A cat that had Brownfeather's coloring and her eyes. Perhaps they'd be reminded of me. That would almost make me content. That Fallingsnow would always have me in her thoughts. Not in hate, but in love. I knew I didn't hate her for what she'd done, but my heart ached when I thought of it, wishing I could have done more.

"Go on," Sky eagerly encouraged when I didn't say anything for a time.

So I settled down and told them all about Mudpaw, Eveningbreeze, and Fallingsnow. They didn't seem to mind that I was a murderer. After all, we'd killed long ago had we not? We were family and we understood each other. Would we leave each other again to go on an adventure? Maybe. But for now we were together and that was all I could ask for.

* * *

**THE END**

When violet eyes get brighter,  
And heavy wings grow lighter,  
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again.  
And I'll forget the world that I knew,  
**But I swear I won't forget you,  
Oh if my voice could reach back through the past,  
I'd whisper in your ear,  
Oh darling I wish you were here.****  
**--Vanilla Twilight -Owl City

(Deepforest's thoughts on Fallingsnow)

**Anyway that's it for this author. I'll continue writing next summer in May. There will be two warrior stories: **Retaking Summerheat Camp **and** Unkown Skies.

**RSC will be about Summerheat Camp's future. US will be about Falling's kits and Sunstorm. Eveningbreeze will make an appearance. Hopefully Deepforest won't. This should be the end of him.**

**I will also be doing a Silverwing fic, if any of you are interested.**

**Still doing some chapters with Spottedstarshell on her fic** Darkclaw's Greed**.**

**Now, I'm going to study for a test. Have fun all of you people!!!**


End file.
